As A Quarry Chased To Earth
by Bailieboro
Summary: The ups and downs of life in Camelot, Merlin protects Arthur's virtue when he is viewed as a suitable son-in-law.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: IN HINDSIGHT A MISTAKE**

Arthur sneezed and that woke up Merlin, his closed eyes registered the light and his ears took in the sounds of the forest and the muffled noise of the horses tied nearby. He refused to open his eyes wanting to stay in that doze-like zone which protected him from the reality of the forthcoming day.

Nevertheless, reality won out and he had to acknowledge that their return trip to Camelot would be fraught with sadness and self judgement.

They had lost one of their knights, presumedly killed in a careless accident in an area honeycombed with underground streams, caves and crevasses. Merlin felt guilty as it had originally been his suggestion that they take a shortcut through the valley. It should have saved them two days travel if they had not stumbled upon tracks of a small herd of deer and _someone_ had decided that as they were going to arrive home earlier than expected that it might be amusing to do a little hunting.

Arthur turned restlessly beside him. He knew that the guilt of the man's death lay heavily on his shoulders. However, he wasn't entirely to blame; yes it had been his idea to go hunting but they had all been warned of the instability of the ground before they had taken the shortcut. As the actual road meandered far to the West before finally turning North in the direction of Camelot, it had been an enticing alternative.

The local innkeeper when Arthur had suggested that they take the 'Way of the Lost' had strongly cautioned them against it. "Good Knight, it's not worth the risk. Tisn't worth losing one's life to arrive early. If I had a gold coin for every traveller who leaves here with the intention of using that section of land as a shortcut yet never reaches his destination, I'd be a rich man." Merlin had smiled no better way of putting it.

-0-0-

Arthur and he had shared a room. The landlord had realised that Arthur was a man of substance and if he wanted the room to himself and his manservant, it was to his benefit as they would get more money for the extra rooms the knights took.

Merlin had walked into the room and claimed the bed as his own. "Arthur, you can sleep on the trundle."

Arthur looked at him aghast, "Merlin, I have no intention of laying myself down for the night on a pathetic cot which you pulled out from under the bed. So, unless you are willing to pay the charge for the night, you will be sleeping closer to the floor than I ever intend to."

Grinning Merlin said, "I'll remind you of that the next time we are sleeping rough. You'll certainly impress the others by being able to sleep upright propped against a tree." He rolled over on the bed and Arthur plonked himself down beside him.

"See, I knew that we would come to an amicable agreement," Arthur said with a sly grin.

"Are we eating downstairs with the others or will his Lordship wish to eat up here alone?"

"Don't tempt me, Merlin. I'd be quite happy to turn in now and forgo supper as long as you were willing to cooperate."

"Well, count me out as I'm famished. I gave half my lunch to you as you had that begging look which puppies get when they are hungry and no one has realised it."

"You should have said something."

"What…and have you complaining all day about your empty stomach? Anyway, I wandered through the kitchen and one of the girls was coming in with chicken carcasses so we might enjoy our meal for a change."

They made their way downstairs to join the others but not before Arthur had claimed a kiss as a reward for being agreeable to leaving the room. He missed the privacy which he and Merlin usually had once they closed the door to their chambers at home.

-0-0-

The following morning Leon settled with the innkeeper for their accommodation, the meals, the drink and the food which the landlady had kindly prepared for their onward journey. The family at The Gulph's Rest had been welcoming and put up with quite a lot of noise and carousing. Gawaine as usual had impressed the serving girls and Merlin was sure that he hadn't slept alone.

They reached the entrance to the shortcut, Arthur glanced at Leon and he nodded back so Arthur led the way, through sparse foliage keeping an eye out for the roughly marked track. They were able to ride in pairs to begin with but soon the way was strewn with large boulders and the track became a twisted trail which descended over a patch of rocks. Arthur turned saying, "Look after your horses, we don't need any broken legs. Take your time and let them pick their own way if it gets difficult."

So saying, he gave Favoury her head and urged her over the lip of the track. She dug her heels in but with a little persuasion she finally slid down a couple of feet before gaining purchase. Merlin watched carefully realising that each horses' descent would make the way more like a slide. He didn't envy any of the knights on inexperienced horses but as they were animals with a herd mentally they would probably just follow the one ahead without too much hesitation.

At one point the knights stopped their descent as a boulder had been dislodged and threatened to roll. Luckily it happened in front of Gawaine's horse and he had Hazlit in check in no time. He cast out on another path and managed to rejoin the others, the remaining knights following him.

Iago fussed but when he felt himself slipping he decided to behave himself and Merlin patted him telling him that he was a very clever horse and appreciated his getting them down to the others.

Arthur called a halt when they had reached an area which was almost level. The knights dismounted to check their horses legs and apart from a few scrapes everyone had come through with little damage. Leon suggested that they continue on foot to give the horses a rest as most were slick with sweat after the arduous descent.

All too soon, the path reached an abrupt end and the alternative was to either climb back up or descend once again. They mounted and put their horses at the steep drop. Footing was easier this time as the bank seemed sandy and most of them slid down to the bottom on their haunches. Merlin figured that would mean more scrapes and bruises however, none of the horses complained by pulling up lame.

They were now in a desolate landscape, huge boulders, great depressions and in some cases long slender rifts in the ground, easy enough to step over but the worry was that the ground might not be stable enough to support the weight of a rider and horse. Once again, they dismounted and chose their own path through the arid area.

Ahead of them they could see a few trees and Arthur waved them on. The footing improved and they mounted and followed Arthur in single file. They reached an almost level glen with a stream and Arthur called for a stop to water the horses and again check for injuries. Spenser and Rhylin walked the area and reported that the ground seemed solid.

Water-skins were filled and Arthur decided to give everyone time to eat. It was not yet noon but Merlin was hungry so he passed around what the landlady had packed for them.

"There'll be no supper tonight if we eat it all," Merlin said but the food tasted good and they had eaten just after dawn so in no time at all, it was all gone.

"You'll just have to catch some rabbits or maybe a couple of fish for supper," Arthur said gallantly grinning at Merlin.

"What self respecting animal would choose to live in a place like this?"

Gawaine who was sharing his apple with his horse said, "Snakes, newts, some birds…

"Squirrels…" offered Simon.

Arthur said, "Don't be stupid they live in trees."

"Well, ground squirrels?" said Simon hopefully. The others listening laughed.

Spenser not liking his best friend being criticised added, "Tree squirrels who were on the ground to travel over this area." That broke everyone up but Simon caught Spenser's eye and smiled at him.

"Peacocks!" Merlin said suddenly, "…and ostriches!"

"What in heaven's name is an Os..trit…sus, Merlin?" Arthur said, "You're just making up words."

"No, I'm not it is the largest bird and lives in Africa. Gaius had a sketch of one in one of his books. They have long necks, beaks, black feathers with white plumes and naked pale legs and they are taller than Percy by about this much!" Merlin opened his arms to show a length of another two feet.

Gawaine just broke up at that bit of information. He was visualising Percy dressed in black feathers with nude legs. He choked on nothing and one of the others gave him a good thump on his back.

"…and they can run very fast…and just one of their eggs would feed us all for breakfast."

Arthur could see that many of the knights were beginning to think that Merlin was telling the truth especially with all the silly facts he had made up to substantiate his claim. He said, "Enough, Merlin! You're telling a whopper…however, should you, when we get back home show me this in Gaius's book, then I will apologise and treat you to an ale in the tavern."

"Can we all come?" Gawaine wanted to know and when the others also showed interest, Arthur realising that in no way was there such a bird, nodded.

He thought to himself, 'Surely if there had ever been such a bird, as the King of Camelot, I should have had knowledge of it.' To add further weight to the fact that he knew that Merlin was kidding, he smiled saying to the company of his knights before him, "Not only invited to join us but I will pay for the evening's drinks!"

He turned to Merlin and said sotto voce, "…and you, My Love, will be paying me back out of your wages!" Merlin confidently grinned at him.

A few of the knights heard him and smiled, they knew that if Merlin was happy so was Arthur and it made him a lot easier to live with.

-0-0-

They packed up what remained of the meal and mounted. Once again, the terrain turned treacherous. Sometimes they had to backtrack to get around chasms and what appeared to be sinkholes. Merlin would have enjoyed doing a little exploring but as the reason for the shortcut was to shorten their journey, exploring was out of the question.

Slowly they made their way north and when the sky changed and dark clouds covered the sun, Arthur decided to call it a day as once it got twilight, it would be too dangerous to continue. They were in a depression between two ridges, surrounded by large boulders and a trickling stream. He decided that it would be a good place to camp. If they stopped travelling, Merlin and Simon might be able to catch some rabbits, unlikely but possible. Merlin could always be counted on to produce something to eat and they had seen some mushrooms and various berries in the area.

Arthur had also been checking the ground as they had been travelling and he had noticed various trails which to him suggested that there were deer in the area. Merlin felt that the area was less than perfect for hunting but the presence of wildlife tracks convinced Arthur that it would be fine. "How much trouble can we get into?"

Mentioning that he would like to see if they could get a doe for supper, Arthur asked if he had any takers to accompany him in an impromptu hunt. They would backtrack to the last wooded area they had passed. Gedwynn and Glyn had shown interest immediately. So, Leon suggested that Aislin, Nathan, Caedrick and the young knights Gedwynn and Glyn join Arthur. He nodded at Aislin to show him that he would be responsible for Arthur's wellbeing. He told Charles to accompany them to look after their horses and to help carry back anything they caught. The knight nodded and went to put some oiled linen sacks in his saddlebags.

The remaining knights were just as happy to call it a day. In the rough terrain, Leon figured they had maybe covered only twelve miles but they were heading north and that was half the battle.

Merlin under pretence of checking Favoury's tack, ran his hand along Arthur's thigh whispering, "Keep yourself safe. You are very special, you know."

Arthur looked down at him and grinned, "For anything in particular, Merlin?"

Merlin raised his eyebrows mockingly saying, "No, nothing that I can think of just now…Sire!"

Arthur laughed aloud turning to the others who had shown interest in the hunting excursion and said, "Come on! The sooner we get started the better."

The last thing Merlin saw were six horses walking back along the trail. They were soon hidden among the huge boulders and sparse foliage.

He needed to scavenge around for something to eat. Simon and he left to set a couple of snares for rabbits. He picked up some mushrooms from decaying logs and some wild celery and cress from the banks of the stream. Simon suddenly nudged him and he saw a trout jump in the river, they approached the bank and peaked over to see three fat trout floating under the lip of the bank. Merlin nodded at Simon and almost immediately two flapping trout were lying on the bank.

Simon grinned finally he had got 'trout tickling' down to a fine art. He smiled thinking of the numerous times he had grabbed and come up with nothing while Merlin was nearly always successful. Walking upstream, they again repeated the performance and soon had six trout strung on a solid twig. Merlin looked at Simon and smiled. From his days as a page who had luckily escaped abuse from a visiting prince, he had matured into a worthy and very capable knight and a good friend. Merlin smiled to himself knowing that Spenser would within a heartbeat have seconded that evaluation.

They returned to pick up the mushrooms and plants and made their way back to the others, later he'd check the snares. He smiled trust Arthur to decide that a couple of hours hunting would break the monotony of the trip they had been away about ten days but to Merlin delaying the return home to terrorise the local wildlife seemed unnecessary. Mind you, he didn't begrudge them a few hours of pleasure and he would be as willing as the next man to partake of venison if any were forthcoming.

Leon had directed the others to higher ground. They stopped to water the horses and then made their way to a flat area below the outcrop. They sat on the rocks and downed tree trunks while they waited.

Merlin and Simon found them there and Rhylin offered to clean the fish while a fire was built.

Gawaine started to tell a rambling tale about a local girl who had gone missing ten years ago, lost in this area when she had gone rabbiting. Seems a stranger had arrived in the village last year claiming to be the girl, now a seventeen year old with a garbled story of an underground town from which she had escaped. Strangely, she knew of all the happenings over the missing years, insisting that the people below could hear and follow their families' daily lives.

The others just hooted at his story, Merlin however, distinctly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

-0-0-

Arthur raised his hand and the riders stopped, dismounted and handed their horses over the squires called John and Charles. Handing his reins to Charles he said, "Wait here until we return."

Charles took Favoury's reins saying, "Hopefully with some success!

"Hungry are you?" said Aislin with a grin.

"All right," Arthur said, "Let's get going, we only have a short time." He nodded at Charles and led the others into the thicket.

They moved quietly stopping frequently until Arthur pointed Nathan and Glyn to the right and Caedrik and Gedwynn to the left. He whispered pointing to deer tracks on the ground, "Move slowly and keep your eyes open!" He chose Aislin to work with him as they were used to each other. Arthur wished it had been Merlin then smiled as Merlin so often spooked the prey, unintentionally he was sure. He felt his heart warm at the thought of him. He was a joy to be with and the idea of not having him and being alone always made him feel sick with worry.

He was standing perfectly still, waiting when he was conscious of movement on his right. He slowly turned his whole body and saw beyond the closest boulder a young deer. He reached for his knife and nodded at Aislin who had his arrow ready. There was a twang and thrashing. Arthur was after it immediately and was able to finish it off quickly.

Hearing the noise, the other knights came over, Gedwynn swinging a partridge.

"Not exactly a deer but fresh food at least," he said. Arthur put his arm across the young knight's shoulders and smiled. He was the youngest brother of one of his knights. He had great hopes for him.

Nathan and Glyn hoisted the carcass onto a boulder and gutted it. Having no use for the whole carcass, they skinned it and took what the six of them could easily carry. The remainder they left for the wolves, foxes, scavengers and other inhabitants of the desolate area.

They made their way back towards the horses. Suddenly the ground opened up and with a scream of shock and surprise Gedwynn disappeared. Aislin spun around but there was nothing but gaping hole which in no time was filled with rocks and rubble. Caedrik and Nathan collected the pieces of venison and piled them near a boulder figuring that once they got Gedwynne out, they would continue on the way back to the horses.

Aislin who was the closest to where the earth had given way, went to walk to the opening but Arthur warned him saying, "Crawl, you don't know that it will hold your weight." Aislin dropped to his knees and only reached within three feet of the opening when he felt the ground giving in and he quickly crawled backwards.

They had all felt the earth tremor so Arthur told them to stay were they were. He called, "Gedwynn, can you hear me?"

They could hear muffled sounds but no recognisable words. Whether it was a human voice or the earth shifting and moaning, they would never know. Aislin motioned for the others to collect what meat they could carry and go back to the horses to get the others to help.

Left by themselves, Arthur kept calling Gedwynn's name but got no response. He was determined not to leave without the young knight. Aislin grabbed two sturdy branches and lay them on the ground about a foot apart. Arthur then added shorter branches in a criss cross pattern. Aislin looked at him and Arthur nodded as he lowered himself to crawl along the branch bridge. Arthur grabbed his ankles, "Can you see anything?"

"Nothing, it seems to be full of rubble. We need more light. Sir Knight, can you hear me?"

Again there was a rustle of sound which Arthur attributed to pebbles and gravel sliding into the hole and bouncing off the rocks but he still yelled, "Gedwynn, if you can hear me, bang something!" he waited...but nothing.

They could hear voices in the distance and the four others arrived. As John was the lightest, Arthur asked him to walk way beyond the hole and then approach it from the other side so that he was opposite Aislin. "Can you see anything?"

John shook his head, "Sire, it's too deep and dark. I can make out rocks and some hanging roots but nothing else."

-0-0-

It was dark; Merlin was worried. They should have arrived back, even if they were empty handed. He motioned to Gawaine who came over, "Should we go out to meet them? They should be close by."

"Arthur wouldn't risk travelling around this God-forsaken area in the dark. They have probably decided to stay where they are until dawn."

Merlin couldn't settle, he'd cooked the rabbits which had been unlucky enough to get caught and the trout. The others had settled with full stomachs. He looked at Gawaine and said, "I won't be able to sleep, I'm going after them."

"But you have only a rough idea of where they are. Arthur will kill me if anything happens to you, if you're going, so am I!"

Merlin gave the ghost of a smile and went to let Leon know that Gawaine and he were going to go out to meet the others as they couldn't sleep. He didn't, mention the foreboding he had but Leon was not stupid. He put his arm around the younger man's shoulders saying, "Aislin has a good head on his shoulders, he'll watch out for Arthur. Go but be careful...Arthur won't cope well without you."

Smiling slightly, Merlin said, "I don't intend to unleash his wrath on you. Don't worry, Arthur has probably got carried way and forgotten the time." He looked at the darkness and shrugged, "We'll bring them all back."

But they didn't...


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 : LOSS OF A GOOD MAN**

In desperation, Arthur had them light a fire to give them at least a little light. It seemed to take Nathan forever to get a steady flame. He wished Merlin had been there as he could get a fire going even on a wet night.

Glyn was still sitting close to the crevasse as that was what it obviously was. Arthur suggested that it had probably been covered with a mat of tree roots sufficient to hold up weeds to camouflage it. The others stood around unable to do much in the dark. Finally, Arthur went and sat by the fire and the other joined him except Glyn who kept calling softly, "Ged, it's me! Can you hear me? I'm staying here until we get you out."

Arthur said, "He should be over here, he'd be safer."

"Let him stay there, he's in shock they have been together since they were fourteen and arrived at Camelot to train as squires." Aislin added, "Eleven years together builds strong friendships. I'll keep an eye on him."

Glyn sat looking at what in the daylight had appeared to be a ten foot width crack in the ground, divided by one section which had filled with rocks. The edges down to it were now steep with frequent little pebble slides. He'd been closer but the ground had the texture of a mattress and he had scooted back on Nathan's command. He was afraid to go much closer in case the surrounding area collapsed swallowing him as it had Ged. He was scared and felt lost but knew that his king would figure a way to save his friend.

Around the fire, the others were not as confident. They had in their time witnessed landslides and rockfalls and seldom had the results been positive. Arthur was deep in thought, he hated losing knights. Bad enough to lose one in a hard fought battle but to lose one on a hunting trip from something as insignificant as a hole in the ground seemed ridiculous.

Arthur had only seen the result of the subsidence, he had not witnessed the actual collapse.

Sir Charles and John who had remained with the horses, had been happily chatting when they heard voices, figuring that it was the hunting party returning, John had taken the sacks out of his saddle bags anticipating the arrival of meat.

Two knights had walked up placing the meat on one of the large boulders and the hide on the ground beside it. He had nodded at them, then realised by their silence and their faces, that things had not gone according to plan. He motioned for John to pack the meat away, Nathan gave him a hand. In the meantime, he had then learned the news and Arthur's wanting him to return to the site of the accident.

With the meat in sacks and left up on the boulder, he'd left John with the horses and followed them. "Wait here for us to return," he told the young man and then added, "It's safe just don't wander off!" He left John desolately looking at his equine companions. That's why the squires usually travel in pairs when away from the castle, they still needed support from a friend in difficult situations.

-0-0-

Darkness was falling as Merlin and Gawaine came upon John. The horses had alerted him that people were coming even before he could pick up the footsteps. He sighed in relief to see Merlin.

"You were left alone with the horses, while they all went hunting?"

"No, Sir. Charles was here with me but Sirs Nathan and Caedrik returned with the meat," he gestured to the sacks on the boulder doubting that they could see it anyway. "But they had to return with Charles as there had been an accident."

Merlin's heart dropped, the kid hadn't mentioned Arthur.

Gawaine interrupted his thoughts by saying, "So, what has happened?"

"Seems Sir Gedwynn was swallowed by a hole and they can't get close enough to see him or pull him out."

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief and then felt guilty. This area was riddled with depressions and probably underground waterways and caves. He should have voiced his opposition to taking the shortcut in the beginning when it had only been a suggestion. But he had other thoughts on his mind and said, "Which way did they go?"

John pointed to his left but it was going to be impossible to follow without some sort of light. Merlin scrambled onto a boulder and looked around. In the distance, he could see the glimmer of what he hoped was a fire. He turned to the squire and said kindly, "Are you all right by yourself, John?"

The boy nodded looking anything but confident, Gawaine put his hand on John's shoulder saying, "Of course he is, Merlin, he's a senior squire of Camelot. Come on if we're going to find them we'd better make a move." He reached into his pocket and took out an apple and some dried cheese which he handed to the boy saying, "You missed supper but this will keep you going. There'll be venison tomorrow by the looks of it."

John watched them leave, he would have given anything to be going with them but he knew from his training that horses were a necessity and had to be guarded. Without horses, it would take them days to arrive home...if they ever got out of this awful area. He settled down to wait for daylight.

-0-0-

Gawaine followed Merlin slowly, the going was tiring, each step had to be tested, no striding out. Merlin had a rag wrapped torch which did little but helped them follow the trail of broken twigs and bent weeds.

From this level, he couldn't see the glow of whatever had caught his eye or even smell any smoke. It was as if the very land absorbed light and scent. He allowed his mind to focus on Arthur and by honing into his presence kept walking in an almost straight line. Every now and again, they flushed some night dweller which scurried away.

Merlin finally stopped and said, "With all these boulders and uneven ground it is difficult to see any flames. Can you smell any burning?"

Gawaine shook his head in the dark and then remembered to say, "No."

"Let's widen our search. You stand here and I will walk around you in a circle. Yell if you lose sight of my torch."

Gawaine said, "Merlin, the flame is so pathetic, if you go more than six feet away, I won't be able to see it."

"Don't worry, I'll talk the whole time, turn toward my voice if you can't see the flame." Merlin walked out six feet and Gawaine heard, "Shit that hurt!"

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, a boulder just took a bite out of my thigh."

Gawaine smiled as he watched the flame when he could however, often Merlin was either in a depression or behind boulders. He could however hear his voice singing one of the bawdy songs from the knights' tavern in Camelot, then he swung into something original...

 _"There once was a young King called Arthur  
_ _Who ordered an ale and a garter  
_ _The garter he saw b_ _elonged to a whore  
_ _But luckily Gawaine got there faster..."_

Gawaine roared laughing as he thought, 'Good old Merlin, still clean of mind and body.'

If he had been quiet, he would not have missed a distant voice calling, "Hello?"

Suddenly Merlin was again beside him, Gawaine wiped the tears from his eyes. "You're wasted on Arthur," he said, "You should be on the stages of the world."

Merlin led the way again, not having seen any flame. Suddenly, he stopped dead and Gawaine almost wiped him out, before adding, "Are you all right?"

Whispering, Merlin said, "I thought I heard something." He yelled into the dark, "Hello! Anybody there? …Arthur?"

They listed in silence and finally heard a muffled sound from their left. Merlin immediately turned and led the way shouting as he walked, "Hello! …anybody…Arthur?"

Again a noise but this time Merlin had already seen the faint flickering of a flame. He yelled, "We can see the fire!" Suddenly it blazed higher, someone was trying to make it brighter for their benefit.

The next thing he knew voices were approaching them and Arthur and Caedrik came out of the darkness.

"Merlin, am I glad to see you! What are you doing out here?" He nodded at Gawaine saying, "You too. How did you find us?"

"We decided to walk out to meet you but you never arrived and then we found John and he told us what had happened. Did you get Ged?"

Arthur shook his head. "Nothing! Maybe in the daylight tomorrow we'll be able to do something. He's a strong young man...he could survive...couldn't he?"

They had reached the fire and Gawaine plunked himself down next to it. Someone handed him a water-skin and he had a long drink. Merlin refused as he wasn't thirsty, he was just overwhelmingly relieved to have found Arthur safe and sound.

Arthur, Merlin, Gawaine and Aislin sat around the fire as Arthur brought the others up to date on what had happened. He glanced over at Glyn who was still guarding the hole, nothing Aislin had been able to say had convinced him that he should leave it and join the others near the fire. He could have ordered him to but he decided to leave it up to him. They could see him and he didn't seemed inclined to do anything foolhardy. He was just sitting quietly waiting for his friend to be found.

Nathan seemed to be asleep as he sat with his arms wrapped around his knees and his head resting on them. Caedrik was propped against a tree.

Arthur turned to the others saying, "We should really try to get some shut-eye. Once it's light, we will have to plan something." They were all tired after their day's journey and the added stress did nothing to make sleeping easier." Arthur stood up and walked over to a boulder sitting against it, Merlin followed him.

Aislin said to Charles, "Give them some space, Arthur is worried about Ged. I don't think the outcome will be positive. The land collapsed inward with smaller boulders and larger rocks. I doubt that he is still alive. "

Gawaine was going to say something positive about knowing of people buried and then dug out days later as they had managed to find an air hole and had survived the initial fall. However, this area was strange, the landscape seemed determined to make their life even more difficult than it would normally be, so he refrained from saying anything and as Aislin turned to try to get comfortable, he just nodded his head.

Merlin say down next to Arthur within touching distance, then on second thought he scooted closer so their legs were touching.

Arthur said, "You don't know how much I'd wished that I had taken you when we left but I knew that hunting is not a favourite pastime of yours so I went off with the others."

Merlin smiled, "Thank you, as I really had no desire to tramp across the area for a second time."

"I never thought I would be away so long, I figured a couple of hours at the most. Then on second thought, I was glad that you were back safely with the others. How did you get Leon to let you and Gawaine go?"

"Well, time wise, you should have been making your way back to us so we just said that we would walk out to meet you. Leon must be regretting that he let us go. He'll have imagined all sorts of scenarios from bandits to bears, from badgers to boogeymen!"

Arthur smiled; he felt one hundred percent better with Merlin at his side. Merlin said, "You should try to get some sleep." He slipped his arms around Arthur's waist and said softly, "I make an exceptionally good pillow if the need arises."

"Merlin, you're so boney that I think comparing yourself to a luxurious pillow, even in this situation is a slight exaggeration. But thanks all the same…" He ran his finger along Merlin's cheek from his eye to his lips and smiled at him. He knew that Merlin was trying to take his mind off Ged's disappearance and he appreciated it.

Merlin dozed fitfully, Arthur was curled into his chest, snoring slightly. Every now and again a shiver would shake his body but Merlin had nothing that he could throw over him to keep him warm and he thought that the shivers were probably connected to his dreams not the temperature.

He watched the sky lighten and he realised that he was facing the East. Day was slowly arriving. He didn't wake Arthur as they would need more than ribbons of light in the sky to be able to see clearly what had happened to poor Ged.

He glanced over and could just make out Glyn keeping his vigil.

-0-0-

Merlin must have dozed off as he was awoken by the birds. The sun was up and the area looked almost tranquil. He ran his lips over Arthur's ear, blowing lightly. Arthur, stirred reaching for Merlin who shifted his weight slightly, "It's light, time to wake up!"

Arthur groaned and rubbed his eyes. It alway surprised Merlin how deeply he could sleep and how hard it was to wake him but just for a few seconds before his brain clicked into gear and he became ready to face the world. The only time that he was difficult to get up was when they were home, Merlin knew that there were days when the two of them would quite happily have spent the day in their chambers, closing out the word and not bothering to stir from bed.

He smiled, soon they would get home and after the first few hectic days of catching up on things, Arthur would finally have more time on his hands to become his and they would have a few days to themselves. However, not today as they had to get Ged.

-0-0-

There was no delay for so as soon as they got up, they carefully, made their way to the crevice. In the daylight, it looked more menacing than before. It was surprisingly deep and from the mat of grass and entwined roots hanging over the side, much broader than they had expected. Luckily only one person had fallen in.

Merlin was all for sliding on his stomach to the edge to peer down to see the extent of the landfall. He explained that Gawaine and Arthur could hold his feet so he wouldn't go over. Arthur said adamantly, "No, Merlin! No one needs to go any nearer than necessary."

Aislin said, "Could we make a bridge across the centre with trees and then maybe one of us could crawl across to look down?"

The others agreed but Nathan said, "Arthur, I'd like to walk the length of the crevice and see if maybe there is any area where someone could slide down and walk back until they get to the rockfall."

Caedrik immediately said, "I'll start at the other end."

Arthur looked at them and agreed but only on the understanding that no one was to go into the hole without clearing it with Aislin or him. "Go in groups of three but keep a lookout for edges which might give way."

Caedrik motioned to Glyn and Gawaine to join him while Nathan went with Aislin.

"Arthur, I can't just stay here, I'd feel much better being involved." So Merlin and Arthur joined Nathan's group.

The crevice was at the most ten feet across and probably twenty feet long. The groups were able to keep in touch with each other. As they walked Glyn said sadly, "Sir Caedrik, he's gone hasn't he?"

Knowing better than to give false hope, the knight said to the younger man, "It doesn't look good that we'll find him alive. If he is at the bottom of that rockfall, he would have been seriously hurt."

"I'll miss him…" said the younger knight.

Sir Caedrik put his arm across his shoulder saying, "I know you will and so will all of us. Come on, let's see what we can do."

It was Nathan's group which found that their end of the crevice rose to ground level and looked quite solid. Merlin said quietly to Arthur, "I could make my way down that edge and walk along the bottom back to the rockfall. Check it out and come back the same way."

"…and if that starts another rockfall, how are you going to manage then? Sorry, Merlin, I have no intention of letting you do it!"

"But, I'm the lightest and if Ged needs medical help, I would at least be able to figure what to do."

Arthur looked at him, what he said was true but he'd heard how fast the rocks had fallen. Ged hadn't had time for anything other than a shout of surprise as the ground gave way. "Do you think he is still alive?"

Merlin glanced up and then back at his feet. He rubbed the toe of his boot against the back of his other leg and shaking his head said, "No…! But I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if I didn't at least find out."

"If you let anything happen to yourself…I'll never speak to you again!" said Arthur slipping his arm across Merlin's shoulders. Then just as abruptly he turned, calling to the group at the other end, "I think we can get a man down this end."

Merlin sliding down the end of the trench, felt his feet touch the bottom. It was cold and damp and smelled of decaying vegetation and the earthy smell of soil. He managed to reach the rockfall, walking carefully not wanting to touch either of the sides of the crevice which seemed soft and likely to cascade in at the slightest provocation. At the rockfall, the earth with the weight of the rocks was solidly compacted. He knelt quietly, trying to feel if there were a living soul within the fall but he got nothing. Looking up he could see only the tops of the trees and the sky. He got to his feet and Arthur standing at the end of the crevice could see him and called to him but he just shook his head.

Hands were willing to help him up the slope onto more solid land and he said, "I'm sorry…no one could have survived the weight of the rocks and rubble."

Glyn said, "Sire, can't we get his body to take it back to Camelot?"

Merlin saved Arthur from answering by saying, "Glyn, we couldn't move all that rock. It would be a monumental task, taking hundreds of men. I don't think he suffered, he was possibly dead as his body hit the bottom of the crevice. Some of those rocks are boulder sized. If one had hit his head he would have been killed outright."

-0-0-

In the early morning light, Leon was awake, he had hardly slept and had decided to form a search party for the hunters. He had left with Gavin, Rook, Simon and the squire Rhylin. They took Merlin's and Gawaine's horses with them and backtracked following the trail set by them the previous evening. If Leon had one thing to regret it was that he had allowed the two of them to wander off but he had honestly thought as they had, that the hunting party was probably on its way back. He wouldn't be able to face Arthur if something had happened to Merlin.

In what seemed no time, they came upon John standing defensively in front of the hunting party's horses. His body showed relief when he saw that it was knights and not bandits as he had first suspected.

He quickly brought Sir Leon up to date on what had happened. The four knights set out to find Arthur leaving Rhylin with John. Leon told the squires to cook some of the venison for themselves as no one had eaten anything since last night and poor John was hungry as his last meal had consisted of the apple and dried cheese which Gawaine had given him.

Simon took a few moments to congratulate John on having kept the horses safe. He said, "The Squire Master will hear about this. Good Work, John! The king's and the other knights' horses are probably thirsty so while the meat is cooking take them to the stream and water them," adding to Rhylin as he took a bag of oats off Gawaine's horse Hazlit, "Divide this among the ones which John's been guarding."

Then the four of them left, leaving the two squires alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 : NO CHANCE OF SUCCESS**

Left again with the horses but this time with company, John said, "It was awful! I didn't think that I would see anyone ever again and I knew that I couldn't leave the horses and I just kept praying that someone would finally come. I don't think Sir Gedwynn must have got out of the hole as they would have come back sooner."

Rhylin got a fire going and said,"Let's get the horses watered and fed then we can enjoy breakfast. Did the king shoot the deer?"

"Not sure but I think it was Sir Aislin."

"Thank you, Sir Aislin!" Rhylin said with a grin.

They made their way to the stream and Favoury decided she was more interested in the bank on the other side than drinking.

Rhylin followed the direction in which her ears were pointing and suddenly saw a wild boar and the only thing he could think of saying was shit. Head up, it was searching the air for scents. He knew it wasn't interested in the horses but he just hoped it would stay on its side of the bank. They could be cantankerous, attacking anything that moved for no apparent reason. He knew that the king would have happily gone after it but he wasn't with them and they were responsible for the horses not sourcing out wildlife.

Horses watered and fed, they grilled strips of venison on twigs. "Just think, tonight we will be having a proper feast," said John with a big grin.

-0-0-

On the other side of the woods, the knights remained gathered on solid ground, looking into the crevice and the rockfall. Sir Aislin said solemnly to the assembled knights, "Sir Gedwynn might have been one of our more recently invested knights but he had every possibility of being one of those knights who represents to the fullest what being a Knight of Camelot is all about." He pulled out his sword and raised into in the air saying, "For the Love of Camelot!"

Arthur and the remaining four knights did likewise and everyone including Merlin echoed his words. The wood was strangely silent; it seemed to absorb the sound…smothering it.

-0-0-

Leon, Simon, Gavin and Rook were making slow progress even in the light of day, the ground was treacherous. Many times their boots sank to mid calf and strange groups of roots would be apparent as the boot was pulled clear.

Simon suddenly caught a flash of red ahead and said, "They're up there near the ridge. Don't rush, this place is treacherous. How we managed it on horseback yesterday is unbelievable."

"I don't think we were in this particular area. Horses would really have had a tough time in here." Leon yelled, "Arthur, we're down here?"

Merlin on Arthur's right had had a feeling that they were no longer alone in the area. Therefore, he wasn't totally surprised to hear Leon's voice. He made Arthur jump when he suddenly turned and bellowed into the empty forest, "Leon, we're coming down, wait for us."

He then looked at Arthur almost apologetically and said with a bashful grin, "Well, I think we're coming down, aren't we Arthur?"

Arthur look at him with laughter in his eyes. It was a marvel that he had got out of his teenage years without Merlin by his side

The others had not yet clued in to what had happened and they were all pleased to hear Leon's voice yelling, "We'll wait for you then!"

Arthur led the way down from the ridge and Nathan kept an eye on Sir Glyn who kept turning back as if he preferred to stay at Sir Gedwynn's improvised grave. Nathan understood the ties between knights, many had been together since they were seven year old pages. They lived, ate, trained and studied together, some seeing their parents only once year if at all. Camelot was their home and the pages, squires and knights of Camelot their family. Loss of a good friend of fourteen years was deeply felt. Nathan realised that both men had been happy to be chosen to go on the hunt with their king but it had sadly turned out as no one had expected.

The two groups met below the ridge and Arthur quietly told Leon and his group what had happened.

Leon said, "Sire, no one could have done otherwise. His parent will be notified that he was given a knight's burial. His younger brother is one of our pages so he will have to be notified of his death. If he can do it, I think Sir Glyn would be the best choice, but we will leave it up to him."

Arthur sighed and then said, "Let's get our horses and get out of this God-forsaken area. That is if there are still horses to ride and they haven't all wandered off."

Rook smiled saying, "John had them all together earlier this morning and we left Rhylin with him."

Arthur nodded, Rhylin was the brother of Sir Romney and the squire which he felt the most relaxed with when they were travelling. He was capable and trustworthy and Arthur knew that anything he saw or heard would never go any further. He smiled fondly remembering Romney and how as a squire he used to be responsible for getting him as an eight year old prince to his training. He laughed remembering how excited Rhylin had recently been to become an uncle when Romney and his wife Mathilda had had a son.

He was ready to get back to Camelot for many reasons and one was to be home, catch up all things new and see how Treva had been coping.

As they hiked back to the squires and the horses, Merlin came up and said, "Why the smile?"

Arthur grinned, "Thoughts of home, our privacy and Treva…"

"Honestly, I hope the place isn't in ruins! Thank God for Randall at least, he will have kept him under some control. I can just imagine what he and Henry have been up to. Hopefully, Spenser will have been keeping an eye on them as well," Merlin smiled thinking of Treva gave him a warm feeling in his heart.

Trevor, Lord De Vire was the surviving member of a family which had been brutally murdered. He had attached himself to Merlin and when sending him to live supervised on his newly inherited estate had not worked out, Merlin had insisted on having him live with them in Camelot, leaving his estate under the care of a manager. Treva came to them with nothing apart from two ponies and a well trained horse which had belonged to his father, the late Sir Roger De Vire and a very sad history.

Arthur had become taken with the young lad and had decided to make him his ward also arranging that Merlin would be named his adopted father. Treva as he preferred to be called had settled in and made his way into the hearts of the two men.

Merlin smiled back, "We're so lucky, Arthur, we found each other and then Treva. Gaius considers him his grandson and he makes everyone who has anything to do with him, smile."

They continued on and finally reached John and Rhylin and the horses. The knights prepared to mount up and Rook loaded the bags of venison on Ged's horse. He intended to attach her reins to his Molly but Glyn came up saying, "I'll take her, she's used to my horse and will cause no trouble."

Next stop was where the other had camped overnight, then the whole group would continue trying to get through this rough patch. Arthur decided that they wouldn't eat at lunch but continue as long as daylight lasted so they could put some distance between them and their sad memories.

Once every one was ready, Arthur and Leon led the group further north hoping not to meet any further obstacles in their path to Camelot.

Merlin decided to ride with Simon who said, "At this rate we will still be travelling in two days. I really am fed up with this sortie. It was supposed to take no more than ten days from start to finish. It'll be closer to a fortnight by the time we get home."

Grinning Merlin said, "…and is there any specific reason why you need to get home so urgently?"

"I miss my own bed, I'm sick and tired of being on horseback and I could do with a hot bath."

"No particular person you're missing?"

A smile brightened Simon's eyes but without making eye contact with Merlin, he said off handedly, "No…no one in particular!"

Merlin looked away and thought to himself, 'Liar!' He was certain that the friendship between Simon and Spenser, Arthur's closest friend, that is beside him, was more than he acknowledged. He'd seen the worried looks when the other was missing and the relief when they were finally reunited.

He recognised the signs as they reflected how he felt when Arthur was out of his sight when trouble brewed. Just seeing him helped alleviate his worries and when finally he could physically touch him then everything was once again all right.

He was miles away, remembering how he had first been attracted to Arthur. He wasn't sure what the feeling was but Gaius had patiently explained that it might be love. Merlin was shocked as Arthur was a man. He knew Arthur liked him but that was as far as it went. Poor Arthur, he would get caught staring and quickly glance away blushing if Merlin caught his eye. Although he knew Arthur was interested, he had made no move to show Merlin how he felt. Then Merlin remembered the cave in the pouring rain and grinned. It was just Gawaine, Arthur and himself and Arthur had with a little orchestrated help from Merlin shown that he was interested. It had been green light onwards.

Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder and a voice said, "Is it that your daydreams are centred around someone that we both know?" Glancing at Gawaine, Merlin grinned but his friend continued, "Arthur said that he would be happy to have your company? If you are not interested, I can convey the message to him…"

Merlin turned nodding at Simon saying, "My Lord and Master calls," he grinned adding, "We'll continue this conversation later," and giving Iago the command, trotted up to Arthur.

Gawaine fell in next to Simon saying, "…and what was that all about, are the two of you planning to get up to no good?"

-0-0-

After what seemed like days but in reality was no more than four hours, the landscape began to change, less boulders, better footing and even patches of grass. They came to an area which looked as if it might have been harvested. That was good as it meant civilisation.

Around dusk, they crossed a ford which had been strengthened with larger rocks and saw remnants of stone walls. Not surprising really, as that would have been easily come by building material. The place looked deserted. They could make out ruined building and even rudimentary fencing. One of the outbuilding looked in fair shape and Arthur glanced around seeing the look of hope on many faces and pulled up saying, "We'll camp here tonight."

They're was a sigh of relief from one and all. Leon said that they would all be responsible for their own horses as the squires would immediately start fires to cook the meal. Never had a group of riders been so happy to call it a day and the promise of venison for supper meant that even dealing with their horses would not be a chore.

Merlin dismounted and grinned at Arthur saying, "What are you waiting for, Favoury needs to be watered and rubbed down?"

Arthur said to him under his breath, "I'll give you a rubbing down…!"

"Ooh! Would you, now or after I've taken care of Iago?" He leant over and took Favoury's reins, "Leave them to me and you scout around, go find somewhere nice and quiet to put our sleeping rolls."

Arthur glanced at the ruins and said, "Make a wish, Merlin!"

Under the cover of the two horses, Merlin slipped his arm around Arthur and brushed his lips with his, saying in just above a whisper, "I just did, Love!"

In no time the fires were hot and the venison was suspended over them. Once the knights had decided where they intended to bed down, they sat around watching the meat cook. Soon the aroma of the roasted venison blanketed the area.

Gawaine was warned twice that sneaking strips of venison off the spit which had been fashioned out of two 'y' shaped branches, could result in a nasty burn to his mouth. However, he just grinned and gave an extra blow to the morsel before popping it in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Merlin and Simon had returned from scavenging and had handfuls of greens, mushrooms and a few nuts. It was the end of the season so the nuts were not as plentiful as they would have been as they were favoured by many animals but he had plenty of water cress and borage, an odd apple and blackberries.

Soon the meal was ready and anyone who wanted could add some of the earth's harvest to his plate. Arthur gave credit to Aislin for the kill, he also included the squires who had cooked the meat and Simon and Merlin who had foraged. The men sat around the fire telling stories of other outings and enjoying the feel of full stomachs.

Soon knights started to visit the woods prior to bedding down around the fire. Arthur commented that the meal would have been perfect with some ale. Merlin assured him that the water he had been drinking was probably better for him and had taken the two water skins to refill them from the stream.

Returning, he said, "So, do we have private accommodation for the night, Sire?"

-0-0-

Private, it was not but the old walls gave some protection from the wind. Arthur told Merlin to tell Leon, Gawaine and Simon to set up there. Merlin roped Rhylin into building a fire in the shell of the building, saving him the effort of doing it. Arthur liked Rhylin and Merlin knew that he would have no opposition to having him sleep near the fire to keep it going.

Arthur left the main fire and wandered off into the woods prior to going to where his bed roll was. He was contemplating the bark of a large tree when he felt arms snake around his waist. He leant back his head as no one but Merlin would be so personal.

"If you had let me know we could have left together."

"What and have everybody thinking that I was afraid to go off into the woods to 'find a tree' all by myself?"

"Mightn't have been such a bad idea as we could then have pretended that we became lost and it took us an hour to find our way back!"

"Merlin, you are full of such wonderful ideas, any others up that sleeve of yours?" He straightened his tunic and turned to face Merlin who immediately claimed his lips.

They finally parted needing to breathe, Merlin said, "Do you know how long I have been waiting to get you alone? I could see you, I could hear you, but I couldn't feel your arms around me. Why Arthur is the feeling so strong even after all these years."

"Would you want it any other way?"

"Never! But I sometimes wonder what will happen when one of us dies. Selfishly, I pray to God that he will let me go first even though you would be left alone but then I change my mind and pray that I will the there to help you through your final moments."

Arthur wrapped his arms around the only man in the world who really knew him and said, "Merlin, we are still young, let those thoughts go, we have many years ahead of us. Our love for each other will last as long as we breathe and then one of us will be left with beautiful memories. Come on, let's go back to the others."

"Can't!" Merlin said.

Arthur held him at arms length and said, "Why not?"

Merlin grinned, saying, "I have yet to make the acquaintance of a tree!"

Arthur grabbed him again, "Go ahead, I'll wait for you just in case you find the tree more attractive than me and decided to wander off together."

"As if…!" Merlin said over his shoulder.

-0-0-

There were no complaints back in camp, as most of the men had not slept well the previous night and after hours in the saddle, they were ready to escape the worries of the world, so they bedded down around the main fires in the open.

Aislin had noticed that Glyn was on the outside of the group and insisted that he drag his sleeping roll closer to the fire. Remembering the tragic death of one of his friends years ago, he knew a little of what the other man was going through. He was grieving and Aislin wanted to keep on eye on him.

Leon had told Aislin to arrange for fire-keepers and overnight guards as although they weren't expecting any trouble, the horses were valuable.

Soon silence fell on the camp.

-0-0-

Arthur was dreaming, his legs were imprisoned by quicksand and he was unable to move. To add insult to injury, something was nibbling at his knee and he wasn't able to shift it. No matter how hard he tried, it kept working away on his leg. It was so annoying, it woke him up.

He sighed; it had been a silly dream. He turned over and tried to settle but once again he felt the damn thing on his leg. He hauled himself into a sitting position to figure out what it was. In the glow of the fire, he could see Merlin on one side of him and Simon on the other, both fast asleep.

He lay down again with his legs curled up. As he again felt it creeping up his leg, he grabbed for it, held on tight giving it a good squeeze. He'd teach it not to sneak up someone's leg in the middle of the night. There was a gasp from Merlin and Arthur realised he was hanging onto his foot.

Merlin whispered, "Oww! Arthur, let go!"

Arthur started to laugh, trust Merlin to come up with some hare-brained idea. "What did you think you were going to accomplish, that I would quite happily let a rat crawl all over me?"

"I couldn't sleep and you were snoring and I was lonely…"

Rolling over to face him, Arthur said, "Next time, you might consider using your hand! Now, go to sleep, we have a long ride tomorrow if we are to get back to Camelot the day after that."

Merlin said nothing; he just grinned.

Silence once again descended on the camp.

-0-0-

Morning dawned misty but the men were in a good frame of mind, should everything go according to plan there would spent only one more night on the road and the following day would find them in Camelot and in their own beds.

Breakfast consisted of hot oatmeal and cold venison. The horses were watered, fed, saddled and mounted and they set off. Iago fussed and Merlin was sure that he knew that they were on the final lap of their journey.

Arthur kept setting Merlin's heart racing as every opportunity offered, he'd wink at him. He was sure that he was blushing but no one else seemed to notice and if they did, as he was sure Leon, Gawaine and Simon would, they made no comments.

Simon later said, "Arthur seems to be in a particularly good mood today. What did the two of you get up to last night?"

Merlin told him truthfully, "Nothing. It's just one of those days and we should be happy about it…nothing worse than a grumpy leader."

The weather warmed up and it became clear and sunny. They made good time stopping at a village pub, managing to buy some cheese and bread for lunch.

Gawaine thrilled at finally getting ale and not intending if at all possible to have to sleep rough overnight, found out that there was an inn about four hours away which should be able to offer them accommodation for the night. They were getting closer to Camelot every hour.

When Merlin later mentioned it to Arthur, he raised his eyebrows grinning. Merlin knew then and there that Arthur had lost it and had only one thing on his mind….he found himself not being able to do anything but grin back.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 : MISTAKEN QUARRY**

The ride was uneventful. The trails were wide and level, the horses cantered for long stretches. They then reached hilly terrain which slowed them down measurably.

Arthur and Leon rode together and it was decided to send two knights ahead to see if there was any room at the inn where they hoped to spend the night and to reserve what they could and also maybe check for accommodation in the village. They knew the inn and had stayed there previously but after Gawaine and a few of his cronies insulting the landlord, Arthur hoped that with an offer of silver for the poor man's inconvenience, he might reconsider putting them up.

"Leon, I think you should go. He might remember you as one of the more level headed people that night. Take a purse of silver and make sure that he realises that this is on top of whatever he wants to charge us. Try to run it by him while his wife is present as she might see it as an opportunity not to be sneered at.

"Choose someone to accompany you and please, not Gawaine! He will have to be put up with one of the villagers or if nothing else, he can sleep rough. I will not jeopardise the chance of a warm room if the innkeeper realises that Gawaine is around."

Leon laughed as he said, "I'll take Gavin if that is all right. I'll let Rook know that I need some money and if there are rooms available, I'll also pay from them up front. If only the innkeeper had had a sense of humour, we wouldn't have to do this."

"I think it was beyond having a sense of humour. Gawaine's comments about his daughter were pretty crude."

"But, he didn't realise it was the daughter of 'mein host'. I'm sure he learnt his lesson," Leon said as he burst out laughing. Arthur laughed too as he knew that once Gawaine was in his cups anything could happen and usually by the time he was sober, he had no recollection of what he had done wrong.

Arthur always had the feeling that maybe Gawaine was more in control than he let on, as in the case of an emergency, he became sober quickly. He'd have to run that by Merlin as he was really a good friend of his. Arthur smiled, regardless of Gawaine's faults, he was the person he wanted to be with Merlin should he ever run into any trouble if he wasn't there himself. Gawaine was one of the good guys and Arthur enjoyed his company.

Leon went back to find Rook and to tell Gavin that they were going to ride ahead to make arrangements for accommodation and also to notify them that there would be an opportunity to feed a dozen odd knights should they be able. If not, they would turn to the villagers for help.

Arthur usually travelled as a senior knight, thus avoiding people who wanted to discuss their grievances, throwing the journey off schedule. He was a good king and had village headsmen who reported to his representatives all the troubles within their villages. He was fair and just and his councillors worked hard to keep things running smoothly even in outlying areas.

It was one of the latter situations which had them where they were today, returning from an isolated village which had persistently been at the mercy of hoards of bandits who regularly swept into the town, demanding the food, taking livestock and in some cases stealing women and young girls.

Arthur would not condone such behaviour. He had sent soldiers and guards to deal with them but still the invaders had returned in the following spring. Taking it into his own hands, he had arrived with a dozen knights and forty guards The battle per se had never taken place as it was easier to pick them off in small groups. No mercy was shown. The leaders were killed and some followers slunk away in defeat. Any foolish enough to leave tracks were chased down and killed. Ten guards had remained in the area to support the villagers. If things remained quiet, his men would be home at the end of the year.

Arthur came back to the present as Merlin arrived beside him. Iago was fussing, throwing his head up and down but Merlin could see nothing that would have caused this behaviour. Arthur said, "He'll set Favoury off, what is wrong with him?"

"I don't know! Just happy to see you maybe."

Suddenly Iago screamed, leaping forward and into Favoury, sending Merlin tumbling onto the ground. He was unhurt and had the presence of mind to roll out of the way of the riders following them. Everyone pulled up in confusion as Merlin got to his feet and ran to his horse.

If anyone had been watching, Ged's horse who was carried the remaining venison, flicked its ears to a sound behind it and then turned its head as something had obviously caught its attention.

Iago stood covered in sweat, head down, and he flinched away from Merlin when he approached him. Merlin said, "Easy, Boy, I won't hurt you!" but the horse would have none of it and pulled away.

Arthur had dismounted and walked onto Iago's other side to stop the horse from careening off the track into the undergrowth. Suddenly, Iago's legs folded, he grunted and went down. Merlin obviously upset dropped beside him. The chestnut's breathing was laboured and Arthur feared for the worse.

Merlin had a flashback to the death of his beloved Gidun. He thought, 'Not again!'

The horse seemed to be panting and Merlin ran his hand over his neck pulling it away quickly as he felt a sharp protrusion. His first thought was a fractured bone but then he realised that there would be no bones there to fracture just muscles and nerves. He looked again and Arthur who was beside him said, "Merlin, did you cut yourself?"

Merlin looked down and saw a scratch on his hand, beading with fresh blood. "I felt something, thought it was the end of a fractured bone but now I think otherwise." Iago was lying down as a horse might in a field, not flat out, but ready to scramble to its feet should there be a need for the flight response. Merlin knelt in front of him and raised his head slightly and noticed that his eyes were glazed. He passed his hand before them but they were unfocused. His breathing had returned to normal and he resembled a sleeping horse.

Arthur said, "Be careful!" but Merlin was studying his neck again and found the point where there was a slight trickle of blood.

Merlin could see a protrusion. It looked like metal. He thought, 'How in heaven's name did he get a piece of metal in his neck when he had been riding him for the last two hours?' All sorts of things crossed his mind but nothing made any sense.

Simon said, "He looks as if he is trying to take forty winks." Arthur nodded that was exactly what it looked like.

Merlin said, "Arthur, pass me your knife, I'm going to remove this barb or whatever it is."

Realising that it didn't make much sense having the whole group of them standing around, Arthur told Aislin to take charge and get everyone on the way to the inn. They would meet up there later.

Slowly, the knights rode in single file past Merlin's horse, most nodding sympathetically as they knew that losing a horse was something which to a knight was tantamount to losing a friend, someone who had looked out for them and kept them safe. For many, the loss of a particular horse would never be forgotten.

Finally, it was only Simon, Gawaine and Rhylin who remained with Arthur and Merlin. Iago's condition had not changed. Gawaine said, " I know it's not funny but it looks as if he were sleeping off a night at the pub."

Merlin's head shot up and Gawaine expected to be, in no uncertain terms called a bloody idiot but Merlin said quietly, "That's it! He's been drugged… Hopefully he will feel no pain as I intend to remove the thing from his neck, right now."

Arthur said, "Don't touch it! It might have poison on it." Rhylin grabbed a mug from his saddle bag and knelt beside Merlin.

Merlin took a deep breath and made a slight incision over the site of entry. Iago's skin twitched but apart from that there was no movement due to pain which made Merlin feel better. He inserted the knife into the wound and twisted it. There seemed to be something solid in there. He made the incision slightly larger and could see what looked like a metal object. Arthur handed him his gloves and putting them on, he inserted his finger to hook it out. The incision bled freely and he let it bleed, carrying away any impurities that he might have introduced with the knife and the gloves. Gaius often said that bleeding from a wound prevented it getting infected. He dropped the object into the mug with a clinging sound.

The others gathered around to check what it was. It looked like a miniature arrow head.

Arthur said, "What the hell is that?"

Merlin picked up a twig and rolled the object around. It resembled an iron arrowhead but it was smaller and had a hollow centre. It reminded Merlin of a pipe that Gaius often used to drip medication into an open wound.

Iago suddenly snored and Merlin smiled, his horse was asleep. Some bastard had shot this thing into him and it must have had a sleeping drug or something on the tip. Why would anyone want to drug his horse? …and then reality hit him. They hadn't wanted to hit Iago but Arthur.

A dose strong enough to bring down a horse would have killed a person. Iago in throwing his head around had received the arrow in his neck instead of Arthur. Merlin glanced at Arthur unsure that he wanted to worry him by telling him what he felt had happened.

He looked down at his hand, he should really clean the scratch as he had touched the area where the drug must have been. He looked up at Arthur and he knew that he had realised that as no one had anything against the chestnut, that either Merlin or he must have been the intended target.

Arthur said, "Rhylin, get my water-skin and Merlin's too, he will have to wash his hands. All we need is for him to fall asleep too."

Knowing that Arthur was trying to lighten the situation, Merlin smiled but Gawaine and Simon were not easily hoodwinked. They both stood beside their king with their swords drawn.

Arthur said, "I don't think that is necessary, I'm sure that whomever it was is far away by now." He was interrupted by Iago sighing and stretching out his head.

"He's coming round…" Merlin said.

"Well, move back as when he tries to stand he won't be that steady and might knock you over."

They waited a few minutes and Iago began to make an effort to stand but it was beyond him. He managed to shift his weight to get his front legs straightened out and reminded Gawaine of a seated dog. He was certainly more alert but not yet right. "Should we give him a hand standing?" he asked Merlin.

"No, I think it would be safer for him to get up under his own steam," Merlin turned to them adding, "Look, I can stay with him until he is ready to walk. You get on your way to the inn, we'll join you later."

Simon said, with a glance at Arthur, "Are you serious? We're not leaving you out here alone to face some maniac with poisoned arrows. Right, Arthur?"

Arthur said, "I think it would be better if we stayed together. I don't think there is any further danger but I feel that we ought to stay as a group." The others nodded. "It might have been a one-off, some nut out hunting and he shot before realising that it was horses and riders not a herd of deer."

Merlin glanced at him and Arthur smiled and turned his hands up as if accepting defeat with such a ludicrous explanation.

Suddenly, Iago heaved himself to his feet. He stood there resembling a table with four out spread legs and looked around slowly. Rhylin had handed Merlin his first aid kit and he dusted the wound with one of Gaius's favourite medications and wiped some of the dried blood off his neck.

Each man was trying to explain to himself the recent events and was relieved that nothing had happened to Arthur. Gawaine said happily, "All's well that ends well and just think we've something interesting to tell the others back home."

Merlin said, "Rhylin, get me some large leaves and a bandage, I want to wrap that metal up carefully so that Gaius can check it out. He might be able to identify what was used."

Iago shook himself and stood looking more like a horse than a piece of furniture. Merlin loosened his girth and told him that he had been a very brave boy.

Arthur raised his eyes to heaven and then became serious saying, "You'll ride double with me…"

He was interrupted by Gawaine who said, "Hazlit is stronger that Favoury, he'd be better with me."

Arthur gave him a look which brooked no discussion and repeated, "Merlin, you'll ride with me!"

Merlin nodded now was not the time to fight but he knew that Gawaine was right, it would be easier for his stronger horse to carry the two of them but he also knew that deep down, Arthur wanted him with his arms around him and his breath on the back of his neck.

Years ago they used to often ride Arthur's other horse Mulgan together. So often in fact that Gidun Merlin's old horse used to quite happily tag along behind, eating the scenery as he went much to Arthur's annoyance. He used to say, "Merlin, you have absolutely spoiled him."

To which Merlin would say softly, "As you do me, Arthur…!" and he would lean forward and kiss the back of Arthur's head before turning back to Gidun saying with a laugh, "Come along, Slow Poke, catch up. You're making Arthur cross!"

He came back to the present saying, "Arthur, I think to begin with I had better lead Iago but once he seems steady enough, I'll be happy to hitch a ride with you."

Rhylin packed up the medical supplies and the metal arrowhead which he repacked into his mug to keep it safe, returning everything to Merlin's saddlebags. He thought of the times when his brother Romney would tell him of the wild things that used to happen when he rode out with Arthur and now, he had something to tell him.

Slowly the group of five horses made their way along the track. Arthur figured they were maybe an hour and a half behind the others.

One of the three men who had been lying motionless in the forest for the last hour and a half, slowly stretched and stood up. "Idiot horse!" he said, "All that planning and it came to naught."

-0-0-

After first having walked along with his nose almost touching the ground and his hooves barely clearing it, Iago seemed to gain more life and was travelling along well, not holding the other horses back.

The plan to ride double with Arthur had been shelved. Favoury as much as she was used to Merlin would not consider his riding behind Arthur. She kept bunny hopping behind, much to Gawaine's amusement who called to Merlin, "She'll have you off!"

No sooner said, than Favoury's bunny hopping turned in halfhearted bucks, one throwing Merlin forward into Arthur's back. "Get closer to me," he said, "Sit further forward!"

"Arthur, if I were any closer, we'd be occupying the same saddle."

"Sounds good to me!" was the only response that statement received.

Merlin decided that maybe the extra weight was annoying her so he said, "Arthur, I think we should have tried this bareback first. She's not Mulgan and neither is she happy…maybe she's ticklish."

"My cloak always covers her rump and she used to the saddle bags, she's just being silly. She's carried deer before now."

Looking down at the sixteen hand dapple grey, Merlin grinned, "Maybe I'm not that dear to her!"

"Merlin, you're not at all funny, you know?" However, the chuckles of the others behind them disproved that point. "All right, get off her and ride one of the others."

Dismounting, Merlin checked the size of the other riders, Rhylin was the lightest and his mare Kystan capable of carrying two riders. So he said, "All right, if I hop up behind you?" Rhylin nodded and Arthur gave Merlin a look as if to say you should have stuck with me.

Merlin told Rhylin to ride next to Arthur and he did so, enabling Merlin to say to him, "Arthur, we couldn't very well have bunny hopped all the way to the inn. By the time you and I would have arrived, everyone else would have been leaving on tomorrow's journey…"

Leon then rode up to be beside Arthur and Iago was quite happy beside Rhylin's black mare.

They had no mishaps along the way and moved quite quickly. Soon they began to see scattered dwellings and ahead of them, made out the lights of a village. Gawaine led them to the inn like a good scent hound and Arthur led the way inside.

Not seeing Merlin, one or two of the men wondered if the chestnut hadn't made it but Leon said that Merlin would be in shortly but he was settling Iago first.

-0-0-

Merlin joined them later looking relieved. "How is he?" Arthur asked.

"Seems fine. He had a good drink and then ate his oats quite happily. I'll check him later but he seems none the worse for wear." Arthur pushed an ale over to him and he smiled, raising it to Arthur before taking the first sip and keeping Arthur's gaze as he licked his lips.

Arthur smiled, nodding at him. Aislin had told him that they had managed to get two family rooms, one for Arthur and the other for the more senior knights Leon and himself but everyone was guaranteed a cot even if someone would be sleeping on the trundle bed in Leon's room.

The knights had been drinking since they had arrived and Aislin had arranged that the meal be served upon Arthur's arrival. Arthur had warned Gawaine to keep a low profile but attention seemed to seek him out and already the serving girls were making eyes at him.

Arthur shook his head and said to Gavin, "How did it go with the innkeeper?"

"Once he saw the colour of the coin, he seemed to have spontaneously forgotten the previous fiasco. I vouched for any breakages and Leon said he will keep Gawaine within arm's length."

Arthur smiled, "Rather him than me!" Thinking to himself that his arms would be busy holding Merlin and they certainly did not need to babysit Gawaine at the same time.

Soon the meal was served; it smelled delicious, roast pork and chicken in a rich gravy, topped with a wedge of pastry and a slice of cheese. This was going to cost them but Arthur didn't care, the men had been through enough on this trip and deserved to be treated well.

Before they ate, Arthur thanked them for their commitment and mentioned Sir Gedwynn and raised his tankard, the others followed suit. The meal was satisfying and once finished, Arthur rose from the table, saying that tomorrow would come quickly, he left the others to finish drinking.

Merlin followed him; the room they had was more than the usual family room. He was certain that it was the innkeeper's own room. It had two windows with curtains. It was warm and smelled of lavender and spices. The linens were clean and there was water in a ewer on the table in the corner.

Arthur loosened his belt and shrugged off his jacket, but his look changed to displeasure as when he went to help Merlin with his jacket he said, "Arthur, I really should go and check on Iago. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Throwing himself on the bed after Merlin left, he said, "Damn horse!" and then guiltily remembered that if it hadn't been for that damn horse, he might have been unceremoniously tied over Favoury's saddle and be making his way home as the second fatality on the journey.

He lay there thinking, he wouldn't have let them tie Merlin's body to his horse, he would have insisted that he carried him in his arms and he was pretty certain that Merlin or Gawaine would have done the same thing for him. Then he smiled he wondered if Iago would have bunny hopped as well with the added weight. Probably not, as one word from Merlin and he would have behaved himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5 : MEMORIES OF BYE-GONE FRIENDS**

Merlin made his way to the stable where some of the horses were tied. He nodded at the hostler who was keeping watch. He'd be well paid for that service as Arthur was particular about the care the Camelot horses received.

He walked in and the horses turned their heads, Iago nickered at him. He squeezed between Favoury and him and greeted both of them with small pieces of the pastry wedge from supper.

Arthur would have made fun of him but he wouldn't have cared. His horse was important and why not give him a treat. He checked the small wound on Iago's neck and satisfied that it was not bleeding or feeling hot, he leant against the wall in front of Iago.

He needed time by himself. The momentary flashes he had had of Gidun's death when Iago collapsed on the trail had taken a lot out of him. He had loved Gidun beyond reason and had always realised that they would not be together forever but when it had happened his whole world had crashed around him. Arthur and he had nearly broken up as Merlin couldn't understand Arthur's cavalier attitude to Gidun's death.

He was sure that deep down Arthur had been sad for him but he was unable to understand his taciturn behaviour. Merlin let his mind drift away… Gidun a knight's destrier had been injured, he was retired but the knight was unwilling to see him sold and as he was in no pain and he just sort of stayed on. He regained his physical health but was never ridden as he had following the jousting accident, lost his confidence especially in the company of other riders.

Arthur had told him to pick a horse for himself and he had walked into the stable at Castle Farm and had seen this horse who craved love and attention but was unable to show it. Gidun needed a friend and Merlin was to be that friend. The groom had saddled him and warned Merlin to be careful as he was not a beginner's horse but the stable manager said that he was a good horse and if Merlin liked him maybe that was all he needed to get back into the swing of things.

Merlin had taken the horse's head in his hands and placed his forehead on his and without uttering a word had told the horse that he knew that he was capable of doing everything and that together they could overcome all the problems in the world. He had then taken the horse out for a little ride, continually letting the horse know how wonderfully he was doing and that he was certainly a clever horse.

They had returned to the stable together and the stable manager had smiled. Gidun deserved an owner and he was only to happy to see that it was Merlin.

Merlin began to get a little choked up remembering that as he had left the stable, the horse had nickered to him. Gidun was a favourite in the stable and Merlin had missed the nods of approval and smiles on the faces of the groom and stable manager.

Arthur was not as happy. "Of all the horses you could have chosen...you chose a cast off?" Realising by the look on Merlin's face that he had said the wrong thing, he added, "However, if that's the one you want, I'll check with Sir Rodney and if he's agreeable Gidun will be yours." The smile that spread across Merlin's face sealed the bargain.

Uther had not been pleased. One afternoon, he had seen the group riding out and afterwards called it to Arthur's attention that a servant does not ride a knight's horse. "Do something about it!" he had said.

However, Sir Rodney and Arthur were both in agreement and Uther finally realised he was wasting his time as he had better things to worry about and thought, 'Let that annoying man ride whatever Arthur wants him to.'

Merlin stretched out to stroke the chestnut's muzzle. Had Uther been alive, he would never have agreed for Arthur to have given Merlin Iago, a full brother to his own Favoury. He had been a hellion. No one had been able to ride him but for some strange reason the horse loved Merlin and would do anything for him, including allowing himself to be ridden. He was maturing into a faithful horse even if he still didn't see eye-to-eye about having a stranger on his back.

"I wish you could have known Gidun. He was a perfect horse," Merlin said smiling and then added, "…and, you My Dear Friend, are getting there!"

Favoury suddenly turned her head and nickered and Arthur appeared out of the gloom, "Are you all right? I was worried that maybe he'd taken a turn for the worse."

"No, he seems to be back to his old self." Then trying to explain the length of time that he had been in the stable he said, "I was remembering things…"

"Gidun?"

Merlin nodded, his eyes filling with tears, "He was so special, I can still hear his screams, Arthur…"

Arthur walked forward and wrapped his arms around him, he remembered his own coldness when Merlin had problems accepting Gidun's death. He said quietly, "…but you were there with him and he knew he was loved and valued."

Merlin tried to control a sob but couldn't. He remembered taking Gidun's head as he lay there grunting in pain, the horse's eyes panicking not understanding what had happened. Merlin had done the only thing which he knew he could do, laying Gidun's head on his lap and closing his eyes which he knew were turning amber, he told his beloved horse to go. In his mind's eye, he saw Gidun, stand up, shake, trot away, stopping to turn and whinny at him before disappearing into the forest.

Arthur held him, knowing that he had done the right thing coming to look for him. He kissed his forehead and said, "Let's get back to the inn, Merlin, it's really late and we will have to make an early start tomorrow. "

When they were lying in bed, Arthur realised that all his plans for the night had gone out the window but he had Merlin beside him and he would never change one iota of him even if he did have an inordinate attachment to his horses.

-0-0-

 _Merlin is back in the forest but this time instead of Gidun, it is Arthur who is dying. He knows what to do; he needs to tell his one true love to let go, to leave not only him but this pain riddled world behind._

 _He looks at Arthur; his eyes are closed and he is resting. His brow is unfurrowed showing that he is momentarily unconscious of pain. Merlin makes up his mind. He knows that Arthur will not survive therefore, when the pain reaches a climax when Arthur is unable to bear it, he will release him…_

 _At dawn, as the sun is deciding to bring another day to the world, Merlin knowing that the pain has become unbearable whispers, "Wait for me, wherever you find yourself, I'll be coming soon…"_

 _Gently kissing Arthur for the last time and smiling through his tears, wishing everyone in the world had the opportunity he had of finding one's own truth love, he says, "Arthur, it's me Merlin, the time has come, you can…"_

 _However, he can't do it. He can't bear to be left alone, he cannot make that final decision. Whether conscious or not, it is only Arthur's to make._

 _He bows his head, the gift he had been able to give to Gidun, he is unable to give to Arthur as he is too selfish and cannot bear to be separated from him…maybe a few more hours, maybe miraculously a few more words together. He wipes his eyes and waits…he knows in due time, it will happen, Arthur will slip away, leaving him._

 _He hears a voice say, "Merlin…"_

His name is repeated again and he rises from the depth of his dream to see Arthur looking at him. "That must have been some dream or should I say nightmare, you were bawling and I couldn't get through to you." Merlin wiped away his tears. "Are you all right? I didn't know whether to wake you but it was breaking my heart watching you. What was happening?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders, "I can't remember…" He did but he couldn't tell Arthur.

Instead he smiled saying, "Did you perchance wake me so that you could have your wicked way with me?"

Arthur said seriously, "Now, Merlin, would I do that?"

Then dissolved into laughter as Merlin said, "Yes! Frequently…!"

Merlin smiled, the sun had decided to bring another wonderful day to the world and Arthur was promising to show him how much he loved him and Merlin knew that even a few minutes together on earth were better than decades of memories. In the cold light of day, he would reconsider his selfishness when it came to Arthur but right now with Arthur's lips on his and his arms around him, it could wait.

-0-0-

Arthur looked at Merlin sleeping like a baby but he knew that the time had come for them to get up. He wanted to sleep in his own room tonight and to reach Camelot before nightfall they had to leave early. He could hear the innkeeper's family up and around and the deeper voices of a few of the knights.

He nudged Merlin and got no response. He ran his fingers over his chest and that elicited a groan. "Come on, Merlin, life awaits us, get up! Some of the others are already up and if you want to be home tonight you had better move smartly." Knowing the longer he stayed to argue the less likelihood that Merlin would get moving, he said, "I left you some water in the pitcher, be a good man and get your lazy bones out of the bed, otherwise the pitcher will be empty and you will be soaking."

Merlin half raised himself and then plonked back on the pillow. He slid his legs out from under the blankets until they hit the floor. Arthur laughed and walked over and pulled him into a seated position, saying, "You're almost there. Come on! I'm on my way to breakfast," he said, "See you downstairs…"

Merlin managed to get upright and splashed his face with water. He was hungry and the idea of riding all day, didn't really appeal to him. The nightmare had taken more out of him than he had realised.

Gawaine met him as he walked down the stairs, he grinned observing his tousled look and said, "Guess who didn't get his quota of sleep last night? Had a rough night?"

Merlin grinned back, knowing that Gawaine would before the day was out tease Arthur. He would make offhanded pointed comments which Arthur would know were directed at him. Merlin thoroughly enjoyed watching Arthur field the comments and Arthur was want to say later that he was sure that Gawaine did it just to make him feel bad and to make Merlin laugh. He thought to himself, 'Well, at least the knight must have behaved himself as by the sounds in the ale room, breakfast was being served.' He threw his arm over Gawaine's shoulders and they made their way into the room.

The inn keeper's wife had outdone herself, the meal consisted of fresh bread, cold meats, cheese and ale. One of the serving girls mentioned to Leon that they had also prepared a meal for the knights to take with them. Arthur could imagine the sum of money which would be changing hands but he'd had a good nights sleep and everyone seemed rested and had the right looks on their faces, except that Gawaine's continued glances with raised eyebrows, made him wonder if the knight had got up to something, about which he was going to hear more of later on.

-0-0-

The horses had been fed and watered earlier and the knights had them all saddled and ready to go. Gawaine was still on his best behaviour and stayed well away from the innkeeper's family and serving girls.

Leon took care of settling with the innkeeper. Arthur was surprised when the man walked over to thank him for his custom and to extend an offer that if they ever needed accommodation when they were in the area that he would be honoured should they consider his establishment.

Later Arthur mentioned to Leon the innkeeper's manners and business acumen. Leon agreed and said he'd learned that the man had been educated in a Benedictine monastery and had travelled extensively. He was running the inn as his father had died and his younger brother was not of age but he did not intend to stay there forever and wanted to go back to the monastery.

They covered ground quite easily. Merlin was sure that the horses knew that they were on their way home. He rode next to Arthur whom he knew was in a hurry to get home mainly as he would be able to gain a little more privacy.

Arthur enjoyed the company of his closest knights but trailing over the countryside with fifteen odd men could become tiring. He was ready to be home.

He had close friends but it was Merlin he most needed, he was happiest alone with him. There was no need for them to talk, they could sit side by side sharing nothing more than smiles. Silence often spoke louder than words when you were in love. You knew your partner and there was no need to impress.

He knew that he was a better person because of his best friend and when he unintentionally said something to upset him, which did happen. Then he was filled with regret. Merlin seldom held a grudge but if he did, Arthur was well punished for thoughtlessness by receiving the silent treatment.

He would have crawled across burning coals to have received some recognition, a glance…a nod. He often wondered if Merlin felt the same but he seemed quite happy occupying himself by helping Gaius or playing around with Treva.

He caught Merlin's eye as he rode beside him and was rewarded with a blush. Arthur smiled, enjoying that Merlin and he were obviously on the same page.

-0-0-

By noon, they were ready to take a breather. They stopped on the edge of a lake, it was comforting seeing landmarks which they knew. As they were closer to Camelot, the countryside was familiar. There were lots of memories, some knights telling stories to the discomfort of others. They stood around and ate the food packed by the family from the inn.

Gawaine had some stone bottles of ale and he offered one to Arthur who shared it with Merlin. He shared the second with Leon giving the third to Spenser and Aislin. Merlin raised the bottle in Gawaine's direction as a toast before taking a swig.

Grinning at Merlin, Gawaine said, "Do you remember the cave in the rain?"

Arthur tutted and gave Gawaine a dark look to let him know that just because he had been present when he had realised that Merlin was special to him, he preferred that those memories were theirs alone. Somethings were private! He said, "Gawaine!" his voice was quiet and without a threat more like a warning.

"I was so cold and my teeth wouldn't stop chattering!" Merlin said with a smile.

"...and you're still chattering!" Arthur said testily.

Merlin glanced at him and then back at Gawaine who grinned as he opened his mouth to add, "I thought Arthur here," he nodded in his direction, "Was going to…"

But Arthur's tone had changed, he was not brokering any discussion when he next said, "Gawaine, that's enough!"

Smiling Gawaine shrugged his shoulders and snapped to attention saying, "Oui, Mon Capitane!" He then added under his breath to Merlin, "He's all yours. Don't worry by the time we get to Camelot, he'll be his usual sweet self!"

Leon had been privilege to the conversation and said to Gawaine as Merlin followed Arthur, "One day, you'll go too far and find yourself staring at his sword as it touches your throat."

"He knows I wouldn't divulge anything too personal. I just like seeing him get all hot under the collar. For heaven's sake, most of us know all about Merlin and him, I'm not telling anything new."

"Maybe but there is a big difference making cracks at a private meal in the castle with an intimate gathering of friends. Not everyone with us today is a close acquaintance of Arthur, just be careful that is all…" Gawaine and he had reached their horses and Leon left it at that.

0-0-

Arthur was standing by Favoury and looked up as Merlin joined him. "Arthur, Gawaine's just trying to be funny."

"Some things are funny and other things aren't and I don't think what he was referring to was funny. It was…"

"Special…romantic?" Merlin said before continuing with a far away look in his eyes, "Toe curling...eye opening...heart-warming?" Merlin put his hand on Favoury's saddle and turned back to Arthur, "I remember it as if it were yesterday. You were hesitant and adorable."

"You were in my eyes, the most handsome man I had ever known and I could't figure out how to tell you how I felt in case you bolted back to Ealdor."

"But, My Love, remember that Gawaine played a large part in it. If it had been only you and I, there would have been plenty of room and Gawaine's presence did sort of force us to get closer than normal."

"Merlin, if I did what I want to do right now, we would never live it down even among our friends."

Merlin shifted his weight against Favoury who swayed a little but then straightened up. He balanced on one foot and ran his other up Arthur's leg while never taking his eyes off Arthur.

Arthur's breath hitched as he said, "Merlin….!"

It went right to Merlin's heart so he said huskily, "If we keep this up, Sire, my ride home will be uncomfortable!"

"Well, the sooner we arrive the better!" said Arthur laughing. The memory of that night in the little cave was one of his fondest. He agreed that Gawaine had been instrumental but he still could be awfully annoying…

He turned to the others, "Mount up, Gentlemen, if we want to arrive later this afternoon, we need to get on our way!"

-0-0-

The ride was uneventful and the horses were going forward on loose reins, they knew their destination and were happy to be going home. The knights were conversing among themselves.

Merlin said, "Will you take a couple of days off or be back in full swing of things by tomorrow? I'd like to spend a day or two with Treva?"

"That will depend on what has happened since we have been gone. I will have to meet with the Council but I might be able to squeeze a couple of hours to myself. The others will have two days off then back into the regular training. We will have to have a memorial or something for Gedwynn."

"Some of the others might prefer an evening in the tavern in his memory," Merlin said with a grin.

"You, Merlin, are sounding more like that scoundrel Gawaine, everyday. I think I might have to curtail your hours in his presence."

"I did say, 'some of the others' not me in particular…I'd be just as happy to have an early night. I think the tavern scene is highly overrated. Everyone crushed in together, the air laden with smoke, the tables sticky with spilled ale, the noise, you often can't even hear yourself think, the bickering and scuffles, not to mention the uncomfortable seats."

"I'll remind you of that the next time we are travelling and horrors upon horrors we are squeezed together on a pub bench and I can feel your thigh against mine and my hand accidentally brushes…"

"Arthur, I didn't mean when we were travelling that is a respite after a day on the road, I meant when we have perfectly good private dining room, with food and drink available…"

Arthur went to comment but upon turning the corner was slowed down by three labourers trying to clear a deadfall off the road. Two stood back as the knights arrived one removing his hat and the other tugging at his forelock but a younger man seemingly bewildered by the knights decided to cross the road to the others and not looking, he walked into Favoury who bowled him over…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 : DIRE RESULTS**

'Mission accomplished' thought one of the men as he stepped forward to help his fallen mate. However, Merlin reached him first and checking him over glanced up at Arthur and said, "…a badly sprained leg by the looks of it!"

Arthur looked annoyed, bad enough that they would have to take a detour into the woods to bushwhack round the tree but he could only think that if the lad had stayed where he was instead of scurrying in front of Favoury, he would have been all right. Stupid boy!

The strangers had been waiting since just after dawn. The farm cart which they had stolen as the horse which was now hitched to it stood at the side of the road. Their previous lack of success on the road with the drugged arrow, had seen them travelling continually to keep ahead of Arthur's party.

They'd been told to drop a tree, dragging it across the road to cause a diversion. The longer it took the knights to pass, the better their chance to get at the king. If one of the three were to get hurt, they knew that someone would dismount to help him. This would further delay their progress. The lad Owen agreed to cross in front of the knights and that was what he had done.

Arthur sighed, he really had no time for this, "All right, Merlin, mount up and let's get on our way." He had already turned Favoury to go over the edge of the road into the woods. It went through his mind that the tree had seemed rather healthy to have landed across the road but he didn't dwell on it. Peasants were allowed to take wood for firewood and building materials so in this case, these men took the wood and the road was cleared at the same time.

Merlin looked up at Arthur whom he knew was impatient to get home. He said, "I can't leave him. I'll splint his leg to give him some support and help get him into the cart. You go ahead, I'll follow as soon as I can."

As Arthur plunged off the road into the woods, the three men realised that they had missed their opportunity again. Simon separated from the others asking Leon who was waiting to follow Arthur into the woods, if he could stay with Merlin. Leon nodded, flipping him a coin saying, "Give this to the lad it will help buy food while he is out of commission."

-0-0-

With the help of the other two men, Merlin got the lad closer to the farm cart. He noticed that they hadn't started to load any of the wood but figured that they had maybe just arrived. They also seemed more interested in the departing knights than in their friend's condition. He strapped the leg to a straight branches, using the lad's shirt which he tore into strips. He apologised for any pain he was causing and smiled at the boy. "Keep this on while you travel and for a couple of days."

The lad looked flustered. He'd been told that the knights were supposed to be their enemies, awful people who killed and pillaged but this man was giving him better care than he would have received from his friends.

The two men and Merlin managed to get the boy into the back of the cart. Merlin said, "Take him home now; you can collect the wood later." One of the men who was actually the older brother of the lad Owen thanked him, deciding all of a sudden the enemy didn't seem so bad.

Simon stood nearby holding the horses, when he saw that Merlin had finished and was standing back he walked towards the lad and handed him the coin which Leon had given to him saying, "This will help you buy food until you're well enough to work again." The boy's eyes opened wide, he'd never had a coin of his own before, he intended to take it home and give it to his mother.

Hearing a grunt, he turned around and saw Merlin crumble to the ground and then things went black…

One of the men said, "Take their horses, we can sell them." Gulfa went willingly but Iago wasn't going to let any strangers put a hand on him and with a shake of his head, he high-tailed it away from the tree back in the direction from which he had come. He stopped watching from a safe distance.

Owen's brother said, "Did you have to knock them out? They were only helping us."

The leader shrugged his shoulders adding, "Orders is orders! We don't have the king but maybe this chap who seems to ride with him is of some value. At least, we won't be returning to the boss empty handed.

"And the other one, take his sword, his purse and his boots. Once he comes to, he can hobble after his friends." The man did as told and then picked up Gulfa's reins and tied her to the back of the wagon which returned down the track away from Camelot until they reached a trail and left the main track.

Iago sniffed the air, he could smell Merlin but also the other men. He knew only one thing, follow Favoury and the other horses, he'd catch up to them and follow them home. He reached Simon standing in the middle of the rough road and stopped. A knight meant food and company.

Simon's head was killing him, he realised his sword was gone as were more importantly his boots. The track was pebbly and hard to walk on.

He heard a rider coming, his spirit's rose. He looked up to see Iago. Great! Saved by none other than a chestnut that could only be ridden by one person! He thought to himself, 'Of all the horses to be left with!' The other knights' horses were mostly reliable and well trained. Iago in no way fitted that description. The horse walked up and stood in front of him and Simon took his reins.

Iago stood perfectly still until Simon was at his shoulder thinking about mounting, and then danced away making it impossible for the knight to try to mount. Without boots, he was wary of the horse's hooves. Finally threatening the horse with all dire circumstances, he took the reins and walked along beside him.

They had been travelling for maybe a half hour when a grouse flew up suddenly from the side of the track. Simon who had been miles away, jumped at the sound but Iago did one better, he threw his head up ripped the reins out of Simon's grasp and cantered off down the road to Camelot.

Watching him become a blurred dot in the distance, Simon said aloud to the surrounding countryside, "Well, the company was nice while it lasted!" He hobbled over and sat on a boulder, wishing he had been less forthcoming in offering to stay with Merlin who was by now, heaven knows where. He then immediately regretting that thought.

He rested for a while, then continued on and at the next stream, lowered his bleeding and bruised feet into the cold water. He took out his knife and ripped off pieces of his cloak, remembering how proud he had been of it when he had first received it the day he had been invested. However, if he was going to reach Arthur, he needed protection on his feet and wrapping them in the red woollen strips of bandages, he hauled himself up to continue the walk home…this time alone.

If he were lucky, other riders even a king's messenger or farm workers might come along, if not he planned to walk until it was too dark to continue. He had to get home to find out about Merlin. He had a dagger and should be safe enough in the woods if he had to camp out. The next day, he would keep walking until the turrets and towers of Camelot were visible.

Iago continued in his effort to catch up with the others.

-0-0-

Arthur after about an hour, had called for a halt and decided to give Merlin and Simon a chance to catch up with them. "They shouldn't be much longer," he said to Leon. "Once the lad was in the cart and they'd seen it off, they would have got back on their horses and followed us."

Unbeknownst to Arthur, Leon had also been surprised that the others hadn't caught up. Arthur and the knights had only been trotting and if the others had cantered they should have been with them by now.

"Do you want a couple of us to backtrack in case something has happened?"

Arthur shook his head, "What could have happened ? The road is rough but passable, no difficult rivers to cross…my grandmother if I had one could have done it on foot. If Merlin has taken time to go off searching for plant specimens, I'll give him a piece of my mind."

Suddenly, Sir Glyn at the back of the group yelled, "Horse coming!"

Everyone turned to see Iago galloping flat out along the track. He skidded to a canter and then a trot pushing through the other horses until he reached Favoury and Arthur. He stood there, shaking wide-eyed, his sides heaving as he tried to get a breath.

"What the Hell!" Arthur said, dismounting.

Aislin walked forward and ran his hands over the horse, no apparent injuries, just a tired and what seemed to be very relieved horse.

Leon said, "We'll send a couple of knights back. They can take Sir Ged's horse as Merlin will need something to ride. Iago isn't up to going back right now."

Arthur looked Iago in the eye and threatened, "If he is hurt, you my fine friend, are going to pay for this!" He took his eyes off Iago and said, "I'm going back as well. Leon, you will go with the others to Camelot. If by dawn we have not returned take fresh horses and come out to meet us. We'll sleep rough if we are overtaken by darkness." He added on second thought, "We will however, probably arrive later tonight. Gawaine, Aislin and Rook, will come with me." So saying, he swung onto Favoury and led the small group back along the track. Rook taking the extra horse with him.

Arthur thought, 'If he's done something silly, I'll kill him with my own hands!' He put Favoury into an easy canter and the three others followed him.

Leon's group watched them until they were out of sight and with disheartened spirits continued on the road to Camelot. This was not the way they were supposed to feel when they were almost home…

-0-0-

Simon was fed up, really fed up! His feet were sore, bruised and cut, his legs were scratched and his arm hurt where he had fallen on it and he knew that he would get little sympathy from the knights when they heard what had happened. Well, maybe Spenser would be more understanding than the majority.

He thought about Merlin, 'Where had he disappeared to?' He knew he would never have left him or his own horse on the road. 'Had he taken Gulfa to get help? But why would he choose his horse and not Iago?'

He began to doubt himself, 'Had Merlin maybe been on the road hurt and he had left him there? No, he wouldn't have walked out on Merlin, therefore where was he?'

He put one foot in front of the other and kept walking. 'If Merlin had reached the others why had they not come back to get him? Would Merlin really have left him in the middle of the track and ridden away?'

His head was aching again and he was trying to concentrate but all he could remember was how kind Merlin had been to him when as a page he had found himself, unbeknownst to himself as an eight year old, in a compromising situation with a visiting prince. Merlin had arrived and suddenly frightened he had run to him to escape the man who was acting strangely and scaring him.

He sighed as he reached the next hill and started up it. After that the rules were changed to visitors only being served by the older squires. The man had been creepy asking for him by name while insisting that he was the best page he had ever had serve him. He had never told anyone but Merlin that the prince was strange as he had always walked around without any clothes on.

Reaching the top of the hill, he stopped. Surely, there should be people around. He must be close to Camelot. He tried to see from his vantage point but the trees were big and limited his view. He thought he heard the rhythm of hoof steps but the harder he listened the less he was sure. Below, he could see the sun shining off a brook. The road turned and started to make its descent, if it crossed the brook, he intended to stop and soak his feet again.

-0-0-

Arthur had told the knights to keep an eye on the sides of the track as if Iago had dumped Merlin, he might be lying unconscious. Hopefully, they would meet up with Simon and he would be able to shed some light on what had happened.

Leon was the first person to notice the flash of red on the hill ahead of them. It was by then hidden by trees but should come into view when the road turned the next corner. They saw the brook first and then the figure of a knight with his feet in the water.

Arthur put his heels to Favoury and arrived there first, he jumped off and went toward the man who looked at Arthur and seemed to be unable to figure out who he was. Obviously confused by what his eyes saw and what his mind was telling him, he looked dazedly at Arthur and said, "Have you see Merlin?"

-0-0-

Merlin came to feeling rotten; opening his eyes caused a bout of dizziness therefore, he closed them again. Trying to figure out what had happened, he realised that the near silence was unusual, as if he were at home, he would have picked up the distant sounds of castle life or at least Arthur's breathing. Even in the woods, he would have been conscious of the others.

He again tried the eye-opening routine and this time the vertigo seemed almost bearable. It was dark but there was a glimmer of light from a crack above his head. It made a spot on the dirt floor, comforting as it showed him that he hadn't lost his eyesight and that it still must be early as he hadn't experienced a night.

He rolled onto this side and tried to get up but his legs felt wobbly. He lay where he was trying to get things straight in his mind. He tried to remember but everything was fuzzy however, he did recall breakfast.

Slowly the spaces were filled in as his mind put things together but stuck right in the middle and demanding an explanation was the fact that even though he had been knocked out before, his coming out of it had felt like waking up. Today, wasn't the same. He felt sick and one way he could describe it was that his thoughts were muffled as if his mind was wrapped in a soft woollen baby blanket. It was annoying as even though his body was awake his mind seemed to lag behind.

Slowly, over what seemed like hours, which he had measured by the way the sliver of sunlight had moved across the earth and up the wall, his mind began to put things together.

He had been returning to Camelot. There had been woodsmen or some people clearing a fallen tree. A young lad knocked over by Arthur's horse…had hurt his leg.

Where was Arthur? It didn't feel as if he were anywhere close by as he should have been able to have picked up on his presence.

He racked his brains; he remembered helping to lift the young lad into the cart. He was not alone Simon had been nearby...and then he drew a blank!

It was frustrating. How had he become separated from Simon? His mind was not cooperating and he felt tired and...

The next time he woke up, there was no sliver of sunlight. It was absolute darkness but his mind was alert. He waited; the sliver of light never appeared. He stayed still and listened carefully at one point he had heard a voice. Wherever he was, there were people.

He reached out in front of him and finding nothing in the way stood up gingerly. He tested his legs and they felt all right. He took a step forward with his hands outstretched. He finally met up with a dirt wall. He followed along the wall counting his steps. Upon reaching what seemed to be a rough corner he started counting again. He did this four times and had a general idea of the size of his new home. He held his arms up and encountered just above his head a ceiling, which seemed to be dirt and possibly the remnants of roots. He was underground, not in a dungeon but in a man made cell.

He continued checking the area and almost stumbled over something. He gingerly prodded it with his toe and then gaining courage touched it with his hand. It was a pile of turnips. He was in a root cellar. There had to be a door or possibly a trap door.

-0-0-

Arthur couldn't believe what Simon was telling them. He'd seen Melin knocked out and then he had woken alone on the road without his horse, his sword, his money purse or his boots. Iago had arrived but then he had run off and he had kept walking alone.

"Did Merlin reach you, is that why you came looking for me?" the knight asked.

Arthur shook his head, "We haven't seen Merlin only Iago… Think, Simon, what else do you remember?

"I remember giving the coin to the boy and I also heard one of the men thanking Merlin for helping his brother. I heard Merlin grunt and turned back to see that he was on the ground and then I must have been hit as well. I woke up alone, no cart, no men, Gulfa gone and Merlin and Iago missing. I heard a rider coming but it was Iago. He let me catch him but that was it. I couldn't get on him but we walked together and then there was a grouse and he was off!"

Gawaine realised that they would have to backtrack to the area and search for a trail which shouldn't be too hard as there was a wagon and at least two horses' tracks to follow. He said, "Are you up to riding?"

Simon nodded, anything to get the weight off his sore feet. Gawaine helped him onto Ged's horse and Arthur told him that he would prefer that Simon ride back to Camelot with Rook. Simon went to argue but Arthur said, "In your condition, if we are dealing with bandits you'd be a liability. Rook, get him to Gaius and have his feet seen to." He turned to Simon saying, "We'll find Merlin and hopefully your horse."

Simon said, "My sword…?" It had been his father's and came to him as the eldest son upon his death.

Aislin said, "If they have it, we'll bring it back."

The others mounted and with a nod of his head, Arthur led them back to the fallen tree.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7 : HIDE 'N GO SEEK**

Arthur arrived at the fallen tree to see that no work had been done on removing it. He nodded for them to follow him around it and back onto the road noticing that the cart was gone. They dismounted tying their horses to the downed tree. Gawaine and Aislin checked the sides of the road to see if the wagon had maybe pulled off the road but there were no tracks.

The three of them spread across the road and eyes down tried searching to find any clues. There were foot prints some of heeled boots that belonged to the knights. They also noticed laid over some of the boot prints, barefoot tracks probably Simon's.

Arthur noticed displaced pebbles and dirt which showed that the cart had been turned and driven back the way it had come. He suggested that the three of them separate to wander through the woods in the vicinity looking for anything that might explain Merlin's disappearance.

To Aislin's surprise, he noticed axe marks on the downed tree trunk; it had actually been felled not knocked over in a storm because it was weak. He called for Arthur to show him. Gawaine mentioned that he had supposed it was a lightning strike as the tree had seemed healthy by the look of the leaves. Two areas were suspicious, one where horses had obviously been tied and another nearby where there was a burned out fire, showing that someone might have camped there. Tracks seemed to lead from that area to the tree stump.

While Arthur and Gawaine poked around, Aislin offered to backtrack on the road following the wheel tracks. He walked along with his head down and speeded up as he saw the wheel ruts leaving the main track turning onto an overgrown trail. He followed it for a short while before returning to the main track.

He walked back and waved, yelling for Arthur and Aislin, "Arthur! They went this way!"

Gawaine pointed out, the hoof-prints of one heavy horse and four lighter horses possibly travelling with the wagon.

Aislin said, "One might have been Gulfa…"

Arthur and Gawaine nodded. The three of them kept walking and came to a shallow stream. They were able to see in the sand, that one of the riding horses was shod. They stopped and decided to return to the tree, get their horses and follow the wagon tracks. If nothing else was accomplished they would be able to track down the woodsmen and ask them about Merlin.

They rode for about an hour and reached a village. Standing to one side was a cart similar to the one they had seen earlier that morning, the shafts were empty.

Arthur dismounted and they tied their four horses in front of the farmhouse presuming that it served as the pub as it had benches along its front wall. They walked through the open door as Gawaine called, "Customers!"

A woman appeared and Arthur asked if her husband were around. She said, "Sir Knight, he's out back with the horse. One of the little ones 'ill get 'im. Will you and your companions 'ave some ale?"

Gawaine perked up immediately saying, "Yes, good woman, I will have a pint as will these good knights," he grinned at Arthur who had realised that they might get more information from the owner if they had purchased some of his ale.

They sat outside in the sun and a young woman brought them the ale. Gawaine nodded his head, it wasn't bad and he intended to have more than one pint if given the opportunity.

A middle-aged man came round the corner wiping his hands on his trousers. Pleased to see the knights sampling his wares, he said, "Gud day! Missus Leather, my gud wife, sez that you ask to seez me. I'se the aleman Bill."

"Good Day, Bill! That cart over there is it yours?" Arthur said pointing to it.

"That's a funny story if there ever wuz one. The cart and Ole Punt went missing overnight. Gone! Then a couple of hours gone by this afternoon, this 'ere man pulls up right out front wif Punt and 'is cart. Said he'd found him on the road. Wanted to know if I knew who it might belong to."

Arthur perked up immediately, "How many men were there?"

"Saw three…one wuz driving, one wuz riding, another young lad wuz in the back. Hurt 'is leg he 'ad."

"Did you see anyone else? …a dark haired fellow in green jacket, and a red neckerchief?"

The man shook his head, then paused and said, "Come to think of it, them men 'ad four riding 'orses but only three peoples."

Aislin nodded and asked, "Was one horse slightly different from the others?"

"Sure wuz! A nice looking mare, wouldn't 'ave minded ownin' her. Good harness as well, very rich looking. Have they stoled her from one of youse?"

Gawaine nodded, thinking how he'd feel if someone stole Hazlit he said, "Yes, from a friend."

"Thought as much as she would 'ave gone well with yur horses o'er there."

"Did the men mention how they found your cart and horse?"

"Jus' that there wuz a tree down and he wuz tied to it as whoever took 'im couldn't go any further. Sez they brung 'im back so he wunna get stoled."

"Which direction did they come from? "

"Dint see but the road is out there", the man said pointed in the direction from which the knights had come. "Funny as they didin' ask for no reward and I ask them to stay and eat with us but they said that to get home before dark they had to leave then and there." The man smiled, "Mine you, they each had an ale on the house."

Gawaine smiled thinking, 'Rascals but not so stupid that they would pass up a free draught.'

Arthur again questioned if it were only three men and Bill had said that that was all he'd seen. "Well, thank you for your help and here is something for your trouble and glad that you got your cart and horse back." The man smiled upon receiving a silver coin as Arthur continued, "Are there any cottages further along the trail?"

"Yes, a couple of woodsmen's cottages, a sheep farmer and then you'd reach Wickstead. Mind you, there is also an abandoned hovel in the woods back the way you come. Ole Missus Gandy died last winter and no one's taken it over. We wuz thinking that it might do for our Rosie who is getting married in the autumn but Missus Leather sez they be better staying wif us."

Arthur and the two knights mounted and they left the cluster of cottages, retracing their steps, he waved to Missus Leather and presumably her daughter Rosie standing near the door.

They rode in silence before Arthur pulled up saying, "They must have dumped Merlin before they returned the cart. I'm sure they were the thieves. If they had left him in the woods, we should be able to see the tracks where they stopped the horses and dragged or carried him to hide him. Keep your eyes peeled!"

Aislin was the first to notice bent grasses and weeds as if someone had walked off the track. He dismounted and leading his horse, followed the trail yelling back that it had become more trodden down and that he could see a building in the distance.

Arthur and Gawaine rode after him and soon they were at the cottage.

A horse had been there recently and two sets of footprints made Arthur sure that Merlin was there. He called but to know avail. Gawaine pushed open the door jumping back in surprise as two wood doves flew out. They searched the place but as it was only a one-roomed cottage it took hardly any time.

Aislin noticed heel marks in the dust as if someone had been dragged, his face fell maybe Merlin had been there but he wasn't any longer. They cast around the clearing and found hoof-prints leading away from the cottage into the woods.

Arthur untied Favoury and mounted her saying, "We'll follow these, they might be theirs."

-0-0-

Simon rode along with his legs hanging down. He'd been given Sir Ged's horse. His feet felt better but they hurt if he put pressure on them when he had them in the stirrups. He was glad that Ged's horse was an easy going individual. Often the young knights had received horses from their families when they were invested, some of them were young and green and took years to settle down to become placid horses. He smiled sadly, thinking that Iago was an exception to the rule as he didn't think that he would ever settle.

He said to Rook, "How's Arthur taking Merlin's absence."

"He doesn't blame you, as he did think that Merlin might have been collecting specimens for Gaius and he was going to kill him when the two of you caught up to us. Think he is probably more worried now."

Simon said, "I feel such a failure not being able to do anything."

"Well," said Rook kindly, "You managed to lose Iago and he caught up with us so that we stopped and came back."

"Great! My one claim to fame is that a grouse startled me and indirectly, I managed to alert Arthur…" He was also not relishing having to tell Spenser that the horse Gulfa which he had lent him was now missing. He said, "I also feel bad about Spenser's Gulfa."

"Don't worry when he hears what had happened, he will probably be happy to see you in one piece. Anyway, Gawaine will do his hardest to get her back. You know horses, if she gets loose she might even make her way back to her stable in Camelot. Stranger things have happened."

It made Simon feel a little better but deep down he knew that Spenser would regret having lent him his favourite mare.

-0-0-

Leon and the others had ridden on, luckily the skies were clear and sunset would lengthen the day. They were close to Camelot and already the villages through which they passed were familiar and the children out playing waved at the knights.

Sir Glyn who had remained at the back of group, kept his ears tuned for the sound of approaching horses but he never heard anything.

-0-0-

Arthur led the others away from the old cottage but not back to the road but further into the woods following the tracks. This trail seemed to have been more frequently travelled and he decided that the trail off the road was made when before taking the cart back to the farm, they had dumped Merlin in the cottage. He must have been tied up as even if he had been knocked out he would have regained consciousness before reaching here. Then he thought that he might have been more injured than he had first surmised.

Gawaine interrupted his thought by saying, "It looks to me as if they came back here and then left again. I'd love to know what they are up to."

They came again to a stream and saw that the shod horse was still ahead of them. Arthur tired to be positive and hoped that Merlin was conscious and not just tied over the horse like a sack of grain. They continued on for maybe another hour going always further away from Camelot. They had not seen many inhabited areas but from the widening of the trail and the additional trails that joined it Arthur figured that sooner or later they would come to a settlement. This land was still in his kingdom and he was going to search every gully and gulch until he found Merlin.

Gawaine saw the cluster of huts first. They stopped and discussed how they would approach them. Arthur was all for just charging in and demanding to search everywhere but Aislin felt that if two of them approached the hamlet the other could snoop around and they could meet up afterwards. In the end, Arthur insisted on scouting the area and only Aislin rode directly into the hamlet planning to meet the others before nightfall in the woods near the stream they had just passed.

Aislin left them and rode into the hamlet. He tied up his horse and went into the alehouse, which was the central location for finding people willing to gossip over a free ale. As he walked in everyone turned to look at him. He heard some comments about his being lost but he just continued to the counter and ordered an ale. He chose a table close to other people and sat down. He knew that his outfit drew their attention but finally an old codger near him said with a toothy grin, "Did you lose your king, Sir Knight?"

Grinning Aislin said, "No, I'm on my way home to the family. Hoping to catch up with a friend who might have passed through earlier today." He finished his ale, motioning for the girl to bring one for him and another for the old fellow beside him.

"My old man used to work in the stable at Camelot and as kids we lived in the lower town. Now, I didn't see no knight but I sure saw a knight's horse earlier this afternoon. Four men, one looking worse for wear rode into the village. Betsy there, served them ale so she might have more news about them."

Others around him also said that they had seen the men and the horse in question. Aislin realised that once they saw that he was willing to put his hand into his pocket they all wanted to be recipients of his generosity. He motioned for the girl to bring more ale for the whole group sitting in his area. He also asked her about the men and all she could tell him was that the men had said that they would be glad to get home and they'd only ordered a couple of ales each except for the one who seemed too sleepy to care about drinking.

Aislin realised that chances were he was on the right track. Another man said that he'd spoken to the men and they'd told him they lived outside Chadford explaining it was less than a half hour away and you couldn't miss it if you continued on the main road.

Finishing his ale, he told the others that they had a very friendly alehouse and throwing a silver coin on the table told them to have more drinks on him. His generosity was greeted with cheers as one man called, "God bless you, Sir Knight!" He settled his bill, telling the girl that he wouldn't mind some bread and cheese for travelling as he had some way to go. He waited and she gave him a loaf of bread and a goodly amount of cheese, throwing in a couple of apples and a stoneware bottle of ale. He left her with more money than she had requested. She smiled happily as he turned and waved at his new friends and sauntered out to his horse not wanting anyone to realise that he was in a hurry to leave now that he had received some information which might be valuable in finding Merlin.

He continued out of Wickstead and then backtracked to the stream, where he had agreed to meet the others. He didn't have to wait long as Arthur arrived back first. Gawaine joined him later bemoaning the fact that he had spied the alehouse and had not been able to go there.

"Well, I scored big!" he said to them and seeing Gawaine's grin corrected him by saying, "In the field of information not women, Gawaine!"

Arthur said, "Well, you did better than me as I could find nothing to offer any clues to the men or Merlin…"

"Listen," said Aislin, "It cost me a pretty penny but I found out that four men had passed through earlier this afternoon. One of the locals who had lived in Camelot realised that one of the horses looked like a knight's mount. The barmaid had served three of them with ale and the fourth man seemed too sleepy to be interested in anything let alone having an ale.

"Another chap told me that one of them had told him they were almost home as they were on their way to Chadbridge."

Arthur said, "I know it, a dump of a place only claim to fame is that it has a flat stone walkway, a clapper bridge across the river Chad. There's nothing much there, used to be a small town but the inhabitants were wiped out by a plague and locals consider the place unhealthy and no one wants to rebuild there. There would be plenty of places to hide the horses and Merlin."

"Well," said Aislin with a grin, "We can't plan on an empty stomach…" and he reached behind him and pulled out the bread, cheese and apple. "Sorry, Chaps, you'll have to share the ale but I have a feeling you won't mind."

Gawaine grinned, taking the stoneware bottle and saying, "Sire, I insist after you!" Arthur grinned unstoppered it to take a swig, he sighed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and handed it back to Gawaine.

They all felt better after they had eaten and planned how they would enter Chadwick and search. Gawaine said, "If there is an alehouse, it will be my turn to check up on it!"

"Not likely," Arthur smiled saying, "…as we'd not see you again for hours. I think we'd better rely on Aislin's expertise in searching out information from the alehouse."

Tired, they wrapped themselves in their cloaks and tried to rest.

-0-0-

Merlin felt differently, he had regained some residual memories. He was still in the dark but he remembered the boy with the bad leg and subsequently being manhandled through the woods into a dwelling, then strapped on horseback. He recognised from the saddle that it was one of a knight's horse. It was a dreamlike existence and what worried him more was that it was reoccurring.

He was watered but never fed. He would often be punched in the leg and after that he would black out. He was never hit on the face or in the head. He presumed that might be because his captors wanted him unbruised should they decide to sell him or hold him for ransom.

When lucid, his heart went out to Arthur. He never bemoaned his own existence but realised that if Arthur knew by now that he was missing, he would be worried, heartbroken even. His one goal was to return to Arthur and Camelot. He had no real idea of the time as there were blocks missing. He could sometimes catch voices but more recently it had been quiet. He remembered a river and what seemed like town but beyond that he had no idea where he was.

He heard a sound at the door and it was opened more than a crack. It probably meant that he was getting more water. However, this time it was different. Light flooded in and there was someone there. He heard them put the mug on the floor and remain there with the door ajar.

A young voice said, "I'm sorry! It was my fault they wanted the king…not you or your horse."

It was as if a floodlight had illuminated the room, it was the young lad and he knew beyond a doubt that he had received some of whatever it was that had put Iago asleep. If he could see his leg, he was sure that there would be scratches there. He suddenly felt better; he wasn't going mad. It was a drug like Gaius might us prior to doing surgery on a conscious knight.

He came back to the presence and said softly to the boy, "How is your leg?"

"Feeling a bit better…I'm sorry! You were so kind to me and we have been bad. Harry and I want to get you away from Clive. He is nasty. He has gone to visit his family for two days and left you here. He will be back tomorrow. If you can ride, we can escape. I want to go home to my mother and your wife is probably worried about you."

Merlin smiled as he thought, 'Well, Arthur would be!' His spirits suddenly rose, he was going to have a chance to get out and set off for Camelot.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8 : ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER**

Merlin stumbled after the lad and squinted in the daylight. He realised that he had been in a root cellar attached to the back wall of an abandoned building. Raising his arms and stretching, he smiled at the lad Owen and followed him around the house.

This was one the strangest villages he'd been in. The fair-sized road had houses down each side and crooked alleyways with more houses off them. None of the houses seemed occupied; where you would have expected vegetable patches, there was nothing but weeds. The whole place looked neglected and forgotten. The doors of the houses were wide open and windows were missing or broken. There were no people around; no men, no children, no women, hanging out clothes on washing lines or chatting to neighbours, not even the usual stray dogs which would have hung around the place.

He checked on Owen who was turning into one of the alleys, "Where are we?"

"I don't know but Clive said the river over there is the Chad. He told us to stay here and he'd meet us outside the town tomorrow at noon. Seems no one lives here. Harry and the horses are down here." He limped but seemed better than after he'd first been bumped by Favoury.

Merlin was not too sure how long ago that had happened as he was still unable to figure how many days had passed since he had bound up the kid's leg. So many things seemed to have happened and been punctuated by periods of sleep. He felt as if there was time unaccounted for but he couldn't at the moment figure it out. Maybe Harry would be able to enlighten him. He was just happy to be out in the sunshine and feeling more like himself.

"Your leg seems a lot better…" he said as they continued walking.

"My mother is a healer and Harry wrapped my leg with herbs that she would have used." It made Merlin think of his mother. "Harry said that you were really kind staying behind to look after me. Was the king cross that I ran in front of his horse?"

"No! He felt bad but he was in a hurry to get home…he thought it was an accident." Suddenly Merlin began putting two and two together, "However, it wasn't was it?"

"Clive made me do it to make the king slow down. I was frightened but I knew what he was like when he gets cross so, I did what he told me. Harry then felt bad as he didn't think that I would really get hurt."

"Well, you were brave, maybe a little silly to do that but brave all the same."

"Clive said he knew my mother and he was going to kill her and my younger sisters and brothers if we didn't go along with him. I was scared."

"What happened to my friend the knight?" Merlin asked, "I saw that I was riding his horse."

"Well, Clive didn't want him so we left him there but took the horse. Clive wasn't much happy, as he wanted the chestnut but it wouldn't let him anywhere near it."

Merlin smiled for the first time in a long time. Hopefully, Iago would have gone looking for the others and Arthur would come looking for Simon and him. Owen slowed down as the homes became further apart and glancing behind him, stopped before a door. He called softly, "Harry, it's me!"

A figure stepped out of the shadows and Merlin recognised him as the other man from the cart fiasco. He nodded apologetically at Merlin then glanced at his kid brother, "Ready to go, the two of you? I'd feel safer on the road in case Clive returns earlier. Don't trust him one bit."

The horses had been saddled and were waiting quietly in the darkness of the shed behind the cottage. Merlin walked over to Gulfa and said her name quietly, putting his hands around her muzzle. She breathed in deeply, leaning her head into his chest and blew into his hands. He smiled Spenser would be glad to get her back and he knew that Simon wherever he was would be glad that she had been found.

"We'll go in single file out to the fields and then loop around to cross the river further down and then cut through the woods to the road back to Camelot. Sounds all right to you?"

Merlin nodded and led Gulfa out following Harry and Owen back into the early morning sunshine.

The three of them left the settlement going south through mostly abandoned fields until they reached the safety of the forest. The river at the ford had been swift running but only knee high but the river that faced them was another matter.

The banks down to the river were steep and the current was rough and carried debris along with it. Harry stopped his horse and looked at it. It would mean a swim if they intended to get across. He turned to Merlin, "Do you think we could get across in one piece?"

Merlin knew that Gulfa trained as she was, would be able to cross but he wondered about the other two horses and the probably inexperience of their riders. So he said, "Have you ever crossed anything this rough before?"

Harry shook his head, "Never ridden before we met up with Clive and that was a big mistake now that I think about it."

Laughter broke out behind them and Owen said, "For the first few days I spent more time on the ground than on the horse. Clive would get cross and threatened to take the horse away and leave me behind but I got better and mostly managed to hang on after that." Then his tone changed and he added, "Harry, I'd be too frightened to try to ride into the river, if I fell off I'd be swept away and drowned like Berta was."

Harry immediately said, "Owen, Berta was only a toddler, it was no one's fault." Looking at Merlin, he explained that one of the village children had wandered off and was later found drowned. "I won't let that happen to you, Owen, Mam would kill me."

Owen smiled as did Merlin who knew from experience the indignant wrath of a worried mother.

He looked at Merlin and said, "I think we should try to find an easier place to cross." Merlin nodded.

Keeping his eyes open as they rode along the river bank, Merlin saw a gravel bar in the middle of the river, where it seemed to be calmer. He stopped and checked the bank. It looked solid. Across the way, he could see what looked like a pebbly shoal and an easy climb up the bank. Gauging the speed of the current, he suggested to Harry, that they enter the water further upstream and made their way back to the gravel bar, let the horses stop there before going into the river again to reach the other bank.

Harry who had little knowledge of water currents and crossing rivers on horseback trusted that Merlin probably knew what he was talking about. So, he nodded and agreed.

Merlin explained to Owen that his horse probably knew a lot about crossing rivers so he should just let it follow the horse in front of him. He offered to go first as he knew that Gulfa was level headed and the other horses would pick up on that to make the crossing safer.

He rode another fifteen feet upstream with Owen behind him and Harry last. He leaned over and took the reins from Owen's horse telling him to cling onto its mane. Then he told Gulfa, "Come on, girl, let's go home to Camelot."

Gulfa after a moment's hesitation to get her balance, slid down the bank and walked into the water. Owen's horse following without a second thought and they made their way downstream angling across the river towards the gravel bar. The water was only up to Gulfa's elbows but for the other two smaller horses it was halfway up their sides.

When all three horses were on the gravel, Merlin immediately made his way into the water heading further downstream to what looked like the pebbly spot. All three riders arrived on the opposite bank and Merlin remembered to warn Owen that his horse was likely to shake, which it promptly did.

Harry and Merlin laughed as Owen said, "That was great! Can we do it again?

They answered in unison, "No!"

-0-0-

Once it was daylight, Arthur and the two knights buckled their bedrolls behind their horses' saddles and set off. Gawaine complained that he was hungry and Arthur told him to grow up. He'd have to wait until they came to a village where they could maybe get some information as well as buy food. Arthur was banking on the men having kept the knight's horse and it being remembered by villagers who had maybe remarked on how such rough types had such a quality horse. There was certainly no market for Gulfa in this area should they wish to sell her and get for her what she was worth.

He wasn't too sure how far ahead Chadford was. He had visited it with Sir Romney as a page. Romney had then been a squire about Rhylin's age and he had been given the job of escorting Arthur and his friend Piers on any outings they made. He remembered Chadfoed as he and Piers had played on the flat stoned clapper bridge, racing back and forth across the river as Romney had led their two ponies across the ford and waited patiently for them on the other side. They'd been told that it was very old, older than many of the Roman bridges over which they often travelled.

He'd loved the bridge. It was just large slabs of rectangular shaped stones placed adjoining each other and balanced on a foundation of rocks or piles of stones which jutted out of the water. It hadn't been a perfect place for two kids to play but it was exciting and the worst thing that could have happened is that they would have been riding back to Camelot soaking wet. He smiled; he couldn't remember the town just that it was deserted.

The three of them continued riding for about an hour and then at the top of a hill caught a glimpse of a river through the trees. Gawaine was all for cutting through the wood to it but Arthur said that he preferred to stay on the road as he knew that would lead to not only the town but also the bridge and the ford for the horses.

Arthur didn't know what he was expecting in Chadford. It could be still abandoned or newly occupied not that he remembered hearing anything about it recently. If it had become a nest of bandits, it might end up being quite nasty if they caught up to the two men and boy who had Merlin.

Aislin and Gawaine felt sure that they would be far gone by now. They had no reason to hang around and unless Merlin was able to escape it looked like being a future job for all the knights to find him.

Gawaine knew that Arthur would never settle until Merlin was back in Camelot and he would be a real bastard to deal with until then. He said, "Arthur, what's the next nearest town or village to Chadford?" If it were abandoned as Arthur seemed to think it was, how far would they have to go until he could get something to eat.

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and they continued riding.

-0-0-

Merlin had decided that it made more sense to cut across country to join up with the road than to backtrack along the river bank to the ford. He worried that Clive might have returned early and was already looking for him. He had no real memory of riding on it but knew that it was faster to return to Camelot that way than by trying to make their way across country.

They came upon a little group of cottages and Merlin traded Simon's sleeping roll for some bread, cheese, pork pie and ale. None of them had any money and Merlin saw himself arriving back home riding bareback as if necessary he'd trade all Gulfa's tack to get what they needed.

Talking to Harry, he'd found out that he was married and living in Shepton about an hour's ride northeast of Camelot. Merlin told them they could stay overnight with him in Camelot and then set out the following day. He felt responsible for seeing that Owen got back safely to his mother as he and Harry had really saved his life.

As they rode along, Harry explained that he had been approached by another man to join up with one of his friends to make some easy money. The man had fallen ill and Harry had gone off with Owen to make what he believed would be his fortune. No so, now he was racing to get home before they were found by Clive. He never really knew what it was all about but he did know that Clive had in a little green bottle containing what he said was a potion. He used to dip the blade of a knife in it and then if he scratched someone with it, they would fall asleep.

He explained to Merlin that that was what had happened to his horse. Clive had soaked the tip of a small arrow into it which Harry now believed had been intended for the king and Iago had thrown his head up and got it in the neck.

Merlin felt sick as if that arrow had hit Arthur he would have died. If it could have knocked out a horse, it would have killed a man.

Harry said that whenever Merlin had started to wake up, Clive would dip the blade of his knife into the potion, shake most of it off and then scratch the back of Merlin's leg. He said," And then you'd fall asleep almost immediately."

Neither man noticed Owen looking uncomfortable, and Merlin said, "For how many days?"

"Well, counting the day that you helped Owen, it was one more day. We left you in a broken down cottage while we returned the horse and cart and then went back for you and by that night we put you in the root cellar. Are you a friend of the king?"

He smiled and said, "I am King Arthur's manservant and sometimes, he worries about me. I don't think he wants to have to find another manservant should something happen to me!"

"That was why Clive took you as he thought he might come looking for you and he would be able to use the other arrow on him."

Back to the time elapsed, Merlin could not believe that it had been such a short time. His head had been so muddled that he felt sure that a couple of days had passed, maybe Arthur had already set out to look for him.

Merlin wondered if Iago had reached Camelot safely. The thought of a saddled horse getting his tack caught up on some tree, kept going through his mind but he tried to convince himself that Iago who really didn't like bushwhacking would have used the road. If he went straight home he might have got there the same evening. He was also worried about Simon this was another reason for staying on the road. If it had only been yesterday, he might be hurt and still wandering around somewhere.

Harry and Owen were jumpy about meeting up again with Clive, so when they heard travellers, they pulled off the road into the forest and stood waiting for them to pass. Travellers remembered whom they had passed on the trails and were a good source of information to people enquiring about who was on the road that morning.

The sun was overhead when they pulled off the road again this time to water the horses.

-0-0-

Gawaine had been leading, staring at nothing in particular when he had seen a flash of metal in the woods. He pulled Hazlit to a stop holding up his hand for the others. He pointed to the area of interest and noticed that Hazlit's ears went forward as he'd also picked up something. Figuring it might even have been a deer, he was going to move on when he again caught sight of the sunlight reflecting off something.

Arthur was all for charging into the woods but saner heads prevailed and Gawaine motioned that he would go further along the road and then backtrack. He walked along the verge of the road on the weeds so that his horse's hoofbeats on the hard track wouldn't be heard. Aislin turned round and went back ten feet, Arthur was now nearest to whatever was in the woods.

Hazlit suddenly whinnied and Gawaine was surprised to hear another horse whinny back.

Arthur's heart leapt, it had to be a horse which the others knew as even Favoury nickered. Worried that the bandits might be there, Arthur whistled the code which he and Merlin used to communicate. He was relieved to hear the responding whistle. He still didn't know if Merlin was alone. He waited on the road and nodded at Aislin who came back to stand near him, sword drawn.

He whispered, "It's Merlin and probably Gulfa. I'll wait until he signals to me again and then…" Again he heard Merlin whistle and the sound of horses approaching. He was later to say that he had never been so pleased to see Gulfa in his life.

The three of them stood on the road as Merlin called, "It's us, we're all right, but will have to join the road a little way further along. Did anyone find Simon?"

"Yes, we did and Iago!" They could hear the sounds of riders in the woods and finally Merlin came out onto the road followed by two other riders.

Within what seemed like a second, Gawaine had a sword pointed at Harry's chest while Aislin had reached over to grab the kid off his horse. He landed hard and cried out.

Yelling at Gawaine that the man was not an enemy, Merlin dismounted heavily, walking over to Owen. "It's all right," he said to the boy, "I won't let him hurt you as I'm here. You're safe." He pulled the lad to his feet and helped him over to his brother. He turned to Arthur saying bluntly, "They saved me!" all the while glaring at the other two knights.

Arthur looked at him; he looked awful. His colour wasn't right and his eyes seemed slightly unfocused. He was uncoordinated; he just wanted to take him in his arms and make everything better but he couldn't in front of strangers.

While the other two were occupied staring at Gawaine and Aislin, not sure how much they trusted the knights. Merlin walked over to Arthur and said, "You don't know how much I've been wanting to see you. I kept thinking that it was days that we were apart but Owen said that it was only one day."

"Are you all right?"

"Not really! I feel better than I did but my head still seems slightly woolly and I would love to lie down and have a good sleep!"

Arthur not understanding said, "What did they do to you and why didn't you just let Gawaine finish him off?"

"He's just a poor man trying to make some money, the leader is the trouble maker, it's complicated and I'm really not up to explaining all the ins and outs. Suffice to say that I was drugged."

Nonetheless, Arthur gave a challenging glance towards Harry, who was still regarding Gawaine with horror. Merlin interrupted him by calling, "Harry, come over and meet King Arthur." He then added in quieter voice just for Arthur, "My boss and my love."

Arthur put his arm across Merlin's shoulders saying to him, "The latter I understand but what's a boss?"

"I'll show you when we get home!" Merlin said with a grin, then as Harry approached he explained, "Harry here got caught up with an unsavoury character called Clive. He's a dangerous man and was out to get you but he was thwarted by my horse on the first occasion and then his attempt at the fallen tree didn't work out as planned either. Harry and Owen live northeast of Camelot so they are coming along with us so they can spend a night there before returning home."

Arthur loved it when Merlin took control of the situation and he nodded thanking Harry and especially Owen, "I'm sorry my mare bowled you over but she just couldn't avoid you."

Owen too shy to speak to the king nodded and turned smiling at Merlin who said, "See, I told you, Owen, he felt bad about it."

Everyone remounted their horses and turned back in the direction of Camelot. Gawaine said, "I think that we should head for the village from which the cart was stolen, we have no chance of arriving back home tonight."

"And might the fact that you found the ale to your liking have anything to do with that?" asked Aislin with a laugh.

"No," said Gawaine quite innocently, "I just thought that Merlin and the lad would probably like to have a break and we have no food."

Arthur grinned, with Merlin at his side he was quite happy to stop there…


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9 : THINGS THAT GO BOOM IN THE NIGHT**

They rode slowly returning the way they all had come even though they had been in two separate groups at that time. Passing the alehouse in Wickstead, Aislin remembered the friendliness of the locals and their help in answering his questions.

Gawaine was all for stopping to thank them but Arthur insisted that they pushed on until they reached the next inn.

Owen rode quite happily beside Merlin while Gawaine rode next to Arthur and Aislin tried to carry on a conversation with Harry who was out of his depth and feeling uncomfortable after what he and Clive had tried to do to the king. He'd never seen a king before, the closest he had got to the ruling class were the guards and two knights who had once come to his village, following a violent winter storm. The guards had helped rebuilt a few cottages and the knights had escorted a wagon with supplies. The king hadn't been with them.

His mother and the other villagers were going to be impressed to find out that he had travelled with King Arthur and his knights. He thought to himself, '…and saving the king's trustworthy manservant.'

When they finally reached the alehouse, it was getting dark. Missus Leather remembered them and called for her husband. His eyes lit up as he saw more ale being sold tonight.

Arthur asked if it was possible to have meal as they had been travelling all day. Mr. Leather said that the three servants could eat in the back kitchen and the three knights would be served in the ale room. Arthur was going to insist that Merlin join them but he saw Merlin shake his head and decided to leave it as it was.

Gawaine asked if there were any place where they could stay and they were told that the knights could seep in the ale room and for the servants, there was an outside shed, currently empty as the sheep were in the pasture. His 'gud wife' nudged him in the side and whispered something, Bill then said that a neighbour might be willing to put the knights up. However, Arthur who had no intention of being separated at this point from Merlin, assured the man that they would all manage in the shed and if possible would like a meal before they left the following day.

Owen, Harry and Merlin ate well. The food was plain but appetising and Merlin had regained his appetite. Finished, they then went outside to find the shed. It was three sided affair but fine for a night's stay, large enough for everyone.

Laying out the bed rolls, Merlin remembered that he had traded Simon's for food. He smiled in normal circumstances that would have been a good reason to share with Arthur but this time it would be more difficult. There was plenty of dry hay so although it might be prickly, he decided to sleep there. He was joined by the other two and soon Harry was snoring.

Merlin lay going over in his mind the happenings of the last two days, when he heard a voice. For a split sentence, he hoped it was Arthur's but it wasn't.

"Merlin?"

"Yes, Owen?"

"I should have told you but I forgot, well…not really forgot but I just didn't say anything. Remember the tiny green bottle that Clive had? Well, he left it on a rock outside the lean to and it was still there this morning." Merlin could hear him kneeling on the hay and the next thing, the lad was holding the vial. "I think it's empty but I thought you should have it. Don't tell Harry as he will say that I was bad stealing it but I'd never seen anything like it before."

Merlin said, "Don't worry, if Harry finds out, I'll cover for you." He held out his hand and Owen put the vial into it. Owen sighed and lay down again.

It was too dark for Merlin to see much but he got up and found some dandelions leaves and wrapped the vial in them before putting it into Gulfa's saddle bag. It would be safe there until he gave it to Gaius. By the time he lay down again Owen was fast asleep.

He had meant to stay awake until the others came back but he couldn't keep his eyes open. He woke drowsily to someone throwing a cloak over him. He then fell again, being disturbed once by an owl and later on by foxes' screaming, however he was back to sleep in no time.

Arthur was relieved that Merlin was back and couldn't resist throwing his cloak over him to keep him warm. Next time, he had the brilliant idea of leaving Merlin to look after an injured person so he could return to Camelot, he would think twice. He finally fell asleep.

It was early dawn when Merlin finally came too, the birds were beginning to sing but it was still dark. He snuggled into the cloak over him, conscious of Arthur's scent. He suddenly remembered where he was and checking to see that Harry and Owen were still asleep he moved quietly to where Arthur and the others were sleeping. He crawled over Gawaine's legs, snuggling into Arthur. He was still fast asleep and Gawaine was snoring to beat the band.

As Arthur felt someone close beside him, he moved his arm and put it across them. It was an involuntary possessive reaction as he was only ever snuggled into by Merlin. Merlin sighed relishing Arthur's touch.

Gawaine disturbed by someone crawling over his legs, opened his eyes and saw only two bodies across the way and smiled knowing that Merlin was between him and Arthur.

When he finally woke up, Merlin was busy with the horses and Arthur was standing watching him like a hawk.

-0-0-

With the horses watered, fed and tacked up, the travellers made their way into the alehouse. Once again Merlin and the others ate in the kitchen but Arthur and the knights were served at a table in the ale room. The meal was basic but welcomed as they were hungry and to get home today, they wouldn't have much chance to search for inns.

Aislin left the table and went into the kitchen asking if some bread, cheese and ale were available for them to buy. He saw the wife nod at her husband and he said with a smile that his wife would get something together. He might not have been so happy if he had realised that that was the last of the cheese. However, the generous amount of coins paid by the knights for their overnight stay, the meals and oats for the horses, well covered the nuisance of there not being any for his lunch.

-0-0-

They covered ground quite quickly being able to do portions of the trail at a trot until Harry and Owen's horses started to lag. Their strides much shorter than the horses of Camelot.

Gawaine had become quite friendly with Harry upon learning that his father was a brewer as well as running a small alehouse. Harry was extolling the virtues of unmalted spelt added to give a nuttier flavour.

Merlin smiled hearing them discuss the various methods of brewing as only eighteen hours ago, Gawaine had been threatening to run Harry through with a sword. Merlin had claimed his rightful place riding beside Arthur. He'd smile to himself as ever so often Arthur would catch his eye and mouth something totally inappropriate for the ears of others.

Arthur was pleased that one night's sleep seemed to have done wonders for Merlin. He seemed more on the ball and his eyes looked bright as he had mentioned to him that he had the vial and he intended to hand it over to Gaius once he got home.

"Did you recognise the smell of the contents?"

"Arthur, when I got it I was in no bloody mood to try to identify it." Seeing the look on Arthur's face, he added, "…and no, I don't intend to let you get your hands on it. For all I know the fumes might also have some effects on a person. Once Gaius has given his opinion, you can play with it!"

Arthur grinning saying, "I can think of better things to play with, can't you, Merlin?" If Gawaine had been less interested in the merits of a certain steeped mash, he would have noticed Merlin's laughing and blushing.

They pulled off the road around noon beside a fast flowing stream. The horses were watered and then the men sat on the rocks and Merlin tore the bread into equal portions and passed it out. Arthur took his knife to the cheese and Gawaine smiled in appreciation at the apples the alewife wife had included, as well as multiple stoneware bottles of ale.

"How much did this lunch cost?" he asked Arthur.

"Don't know whatever it was it was well worth it. Aislin looked after it. When dealing with innkeepers and alehouse owners, it's best to offer a fair rate for what you get as they can sell you inferior ales as you're not one of their regulars and they will probably never see you again in their lifetime."

"Except Gawaine here!" Merlin added with a grin.

Arthur nodded and continued, "Even more if you want service or extras."

Gawaine said, "Seems to me for what you paid, they could have included a firkin."

"…and you presumable would have scoffed the seventy-two pints. Not likely, I want you to be able to ride not swim back to Camelot," Arthur said with a laugh.

Aislin added, "I threw in a couple of more coins to ensure that out whereabouts were kept secret, just in case some people come looking for us."

Merlin feeling Owen stiffen beside him, turned to him, "I promise you, travelling with the king and two knights we are entirely safe." Owen relaxed a little, he was not too sure but willing to give Merlin the benefit of the doubt.

Soon they were on their way again.

-0-0-

Arthur as he had predicted, had not returned to Camelot by late that evening so Leon planned upon taking a group of five fresh knights, to search for him leaving Camelot early in the morning. Gaius had been told that Merlin was missing and also about Iago's strange behaviour of falling asleep and the hurt lad episode. Leon could tell by the look in the elderly man's eyes that he was worried.

"Arthur insisted upon going back to get him and took Gawaine, Rook and Aislin with him. Simon was with Merlin so he is not alone. I'm sure he'll turn up…Iago did."

Gaius glared at him, not happy that Merlin's missing should be equated with the return of the chestnut in which he had little confidence. "That, Leon, does nothing to make me feel better," he confided.

"We'll get him, Gaius, he's strong and smart, he won't do anything silly and Arthur will leave no stone unturned." As the words were coming out of his mouth, he realised that many times, servants' bodies if they could not be returned were buried in the forest under stones to prevent the local wildlife from digging them up.

Gaius flapped his hand at him dismissing him. Leon left and Gaius went to sit by the fire. Merlin could not be missing, he would turn up full of himself and scoffing to hear that he had been upset and worried…but he was.

Leon and the knights Sirs Romney, Spenser, Caedrik, Gavin and Nigel were mounted and on the road early. They wasted no time and pushed their horses as Arthur and his four knights were still missing as was Merlin.

-0-0-

Rook and Simon had taken time to rest overnight and were on the final leg of their journey when they met Leon and his group. Spenser dismounted quickly and raced over to his friend who remained mounted.

Simon was tired and in pain; everything was just too much. Rook advised, "Don't think you should get off your horse. You'll have a long enough walk to Gaius's when we reach the courtyard. As Spenser came over he explained, "They took his boots and he must have walked miles barefoot. His feet are in a mess and he needs them seen to."

Glancing up at Simon, Spenser put his hand on his knee, squeezing lightly saying, "Gaius will get you back in top form in no time," adding with a smile, "At least you'll get a break from training!"

Simon's face fell as he said, "They took my father's sword, doubt that I will ever get it back and I'm sorry, but they must also have Gulfa. She was nowhere to be found when I came to, hopefully Merlin has her. Later, I met up with Iago but he wouldn't let me mount him. I hung onto his stirrup and we walked along but a grouse put the kibosh on that and he took off. However, at least he reached Arthur and Leon."

He could see by Spenser's eyes that he was worried and attributed it to the loss of his horse but Spenser said quietly, "You're safe that is the main thing. We can get you another sword and I'm sure Arthur will see about another horse for me."

He was interrupted by Leon who said, "Are you staying with us or returning with Simon to Camelot?"

Spenser gave Simon a little smile before answering, "No, I will continue with you." He mounted to ride next to Caedrik.

Simon and Rook stood watching as the six knights rode off. Simon thought, 'God, let them find Arthur and Merlin before it's too late.'

-0-0-

Arthur and his followers had been doing well, but then the heavens opened up. Till this point, they had been lucky with the weather. They knew the landscape was flat with no caves so they kept going until they reached a little hamlet. They were soaking wet and feeling miserable.

In good weather, Arthur would have soldiered on but in the pouring rain, he decided to make caution a priority and to seek shelter. The village was known to them and he was sure he could get everyone out of the rain. Daylight was already falling when Gawaine returned from the village headman's house. "He's agreed to move his kids into his room so we can have their empty room. It's nothing more than a garret, you'll have to stoop to walk but it will be dry."

Nodding at Merlin and the two others, he said, "There is a lean-to on the back of the cottage and you can sleep there. His wife will make some stew and hopefully he has plenty of ale!"

He nodded apologetically at Merlin who took it in stride. Gawaine was only protecting the king's reputation. The headsman knew who the knights were and gossip of their stay would make the topic of the following day. Arthur looked less than pleased as Gawaine leant over to him and said, "Sorry, it's for the best…as he knows who you are!"

This was one of the reasons why the knights and Arthur would normally have pushed hard to reach Camelot. The king couldn't sneeze without someone making a comment about it. It would be a feather in the village leader's hat to put the king up for the night and he wouldn't be backward in sharing that news with anyone who would listen.

It was an honour to have a king under your roof and Merlin smiled to himself, as probably within the week there would be a sign outside the cottage stating, 'King Arthur Slept Here!' He chuckled, "As if!"

Merlin slept quite soundly only to be awoken by a major storm. The cottage and ground shook in the peals of thunder; the lightning which came in sheets, practically made it daylight. He was glad that the horses were under cover and also that Iago wasn't with them as he was very conscious of storms many times breaking out in a sweat seemingly hours before the first rumble of thunder.

Gaius had assured him it was because his body picked up the oncoming storm from many miles away. "Many animals can do it. Birds will leave the area and supposedly fish swim deeper into the rivers, lakes and oceans," he had told him. Merlin smiled having visions of Gaius in his younger days paddling in the rivers and streams to watch the behaviour of fish. He had believed Gaius as their old hound in Ealdor always alerted his mother that a storm was coming, often like a sheepdog nosing Merlin back to the safety of the house.

Hearing Owen whimpering, he said, "It's all right, my Mam says it's only the clouds bumping into each other… Come over here, get between me and the wall, you'll be safe there."

Merlin smiled to himself, although he would never divulge the secret but Arthur wasn't too thrilled by never-ending storms. He jumped at each crack of thunder and as Merlin said to him, "Let it go, Arthur! You've got yourself in such a state that you are anticipating the next peal." He would then start counting between the flash and the bang and Arthur could see that the distances were getting longer as the storm moved over them.

There was a God-almighty snap, the sound of a cracking tree trunk followed by the muffled thud of a falling tree.

Owen grabbed him; 'Strike one!' thought Merlin and hoped that Arthur hadn't scared the daylights out of whomever he was sleeping next to as he had probably grabbed them.

Harry's voice across the lean-to said, "That was close! Hopefully the worse is over…"

And it was! Slowly the storm distanced itself and the rain lulled them to sleep.

-0-0-

"Did you sleep well, Sire?" asked Merlin when he saw Arthur in the morning.

Arthur growled at him as Gawaine grinned, "He was rather restless, to say the least."

Laughing Merlin said, "Did you forget it was just the big black clouds bumping into each other?"

Arthur was in no mood for teasing so he muttered something about how he'd show Merlin big black clouds.

Merlin grinned saying as he passed him some cold pork, "...and I love you too!"

Arthur wasn't the only one who found storms nerve racking. Sleeping rough with the heavens reenacting the Battle of Waterloo over their heads was difficult for quite a few of the knights. On a rare occasion, horses where struck by lightning and it was seldom to lose only one. The ground seemed alive and unfortunate grooms and knights had on occasions also been lost.

Merlin had learned from Gaius that as a baby, Arthur had never slept through storms. He would lie open-eyed seemingly anticipating the next boom. Due to Uther's disinterest in his son, Gaius had raised him until he was six. When he was finally ensconced in his own chambers as a seven year old, the summer had been one of great heat, punctuated by regular heat storms. Humphrey his manservant was often roused by a terrified boy, shaking and trying to get into the smallest place to hide. Life was not made any easier by the echoes that reverberated around the courtyard and down the valley.

Arthur would plead with Humphrey not to tell anyone as his father would be angry that he wasn't the brave boy he was supposed to be as a prince and a page of Camelot.

Finally that summer, Gaius concocted a sleeping draught that Humphrey would administer when storms were imminent. It upset him when the eight year old would say, "I'm brave in the daytime...I really am, Humphrey!"

As he grew, Arthur had learned like a good boy to control his fear. For a time, he even was able to hide it from Merlin or so he thought. As a full fledged adult, the irrational fear was buried but resurfaced visibly only if he were alone with Merlin.

Gawaine had experienced it one night when he was camping with Spenser, Merlin and Arthur. Arthur had been embarrassed but Spenser a childhood friend had accepted Arthur's what he jokingly referred to as storm uneasiness, years ago.

Merlin's threat of what he intended to do to Gawaine, after he chopped off all his hair, had found the knight bonded closer, admitted to their inner circle of friends. Merlin knew that Gawaine could be trusted implicitly to never embarrass Arthur by openly discussing his weakness with anyone outside the select group.

Arthur had never slept during a storm but taking his cue from Merlin's steady breathing, his closeness and gentle smile had helped. He was as a result, able to lie quietly in bed, counting the time between the flashes of lightning and the booming thunder, slowly drifting off as the thunder became more distant. Gaius when approached had smiled telling Arthur that the best medicine could sometimes be one's confidence in another human being.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10 : HANDS OFF!**

The two parties slowly approached each other. It must have been around noon, when on a hill across a gorge, Leon first noticed movement in the woods. Seeing the colour red, he knew that they had found knights. He motioned for his men to remain silent as he was certain that there were more people than three red cloaked figures.

Romney said quietly, I think that if we stay where we are, they will pass right in front of us, that is if they are on the road."

Deciding to let that happen, Leon pulled his men off the road to await the travellers. The previous encounter three days ago on this road had made him wary of charging into whatever lay ahead. Hopefully, the group were not at the hands of some bandits.

Caedrik offered to scout ahead and get an idea of the make up of the group. "Just be careful!" Leon said, "Don't give away your position! It might make it worse for Arthur if he's a prisoner."

Gavin offered to join him.

It took no more than twenty minutes for the group of riders to reach the rock cluster where Caedrik lay hidden. He listened and was able to pick out the general conversational patter which you might expect with a group of travelling knights. He heard Gawaine laugh at something which Arthur had said. They had reached a curve in the road and Arthur and Merlin were the first two riders to appear. Neither seemed stressed out as their horses were just walking along on loose reins and Merlin had turned to say something to a younger lad behind them.

Deciding that nothing was amiss, he and Gavin walked out to stand in the middle of the road. "You're safe, Sire!" he said relieved, nodding at Merlin and the two other knights, "Thank God!"

"Of course, I'm safe," said Arthur glancing at the two knights, "Would be little good to anyone if I weren't able to retrieve my wayward manservant from the hands of dangerous life-threatening bandits." He stopped to grin at a young lad who immediately glanced at Merlin.

Merlin smiled back at the lad saying, "The king is just teasing. He knows you're not a bandit."

Thoughts of being hanged at the crossroads or having his hands cut off were thankfully pushed into the recesses of Owen's mind. He decided he really didn't understand the king who seemed to often say the opposite of what had actually happened. He wasn't afraid of him, just sometimes confused by him.

The horses stopped and Gavin said, "Leon and the others are down the hill. I came ahead to see why you had strangers with you."

Merlin said, "Let me introduce Harry and his young brother Owen. They saved me and we managed to escape. We were even able to bring Gulfa back for Spenser."

Gavin laughed, saying, "Well, for him that will be icing on the cake as we met up with Simon and Rook and they are now ahead of us on their way back to Camelot."

Turning back to Owen and Harry, Merlin took the time to explain, "This is Sir Caedrik and Sir Gavin also knights of Camelot." Noticing that Owen seemed a little worried he said, 'Now, you know four knights and the king."

Arthur sighed shaking his head at Merlin and said impatiently, "Well, what are we waiting around for! Let's get back to Camelot."

"Here, have Gulfa and I'll double up with Gawaine," Merlin said dismounting and holding the horse's reins so that Gavin could mount.

"Thanks but no need. The others are only a little way down the road we'll walk." Caedrik nodded.

So the horses set off with the others walking, Merlin and Gawaine joining them on foot.

Gavin brought Arthur up to date on Simon, "They should almost be in Camelot. Won't be walking around without pain for sometime but he was able to ride so that is one thing. Didn't happen to find his sword did you as he was telling Spenser that he'd lost it?"

Arthur turned to Harry saying, "Did Clive have the sword?"

Nodding, Harry said, "Yes, Sire. Clive said that with the scabbard and belt it would be well worth something…also the boots."

"Might yet turn up," said Caedrik, "…if someone who buys it, realises it's a knight's sword and worth a lot of money, he might decide to return it to Camelot. People know the chances are good that they will get a reward."

"Hope so," added Gawaine, "As Simon is emotionally attached to it, it being his father's and him being dead and all that…"

Within no time, the sound of horses and muffled knights' voices reached Leon. He had placed Nigel, a little further up the road and when he had heard him yell back that he could make out Arthur, Caedrik and Gavin. Spenser, Romney and Leon stepped into the middle of the road to meet them.

Arthur dismounted to greet the other knights. Leon walked up to Arthur who said, "Well, Gaius will be one very relieved man!"

"You don't think I wasn't! I feared the worse for Merlin especially with Iago reaching us. Did everyone else get back safely?"

"Yes, all accounted for except for the group you see here. Are those two bandits?" asked Leon surprised to see Gawaine and Aislin on such friendly terms with the older of the two.

"No, just a misguided soul out to make quick penny, who stupidly dragged his kid brother along with him." Arthur laughed saying, "Gawaine is taken with him as his father is a village brewer. Guess he's hedging his bets that if he were ever to get marooned in Shepton at least he wouldn't die of thirst. Actually, there's a nastier character the leader called Clive however, I'm sure he's just a cog in an even bigger wheel.

"Merlin has a vial with the remains of what he believes was used to knock out good old Iago."

Leon huffed as he had never heard Arthur use the words good and Iago in the same sentence. Too handsome for his own good yes, a liability yes, pigheaded yes on many occasions but never good, he'd have to remember to tell Merlin.

"If that arrow tip had hit me, I would have been dead. Merlin had also been drugged but luckily these two…" he said, pointing to Harry and Owen, "Saved his life when Clive left them alone with him. Young lad's plucky, I'll give him that!"

Merlin was talking to Spenser and Romney who said, "Rhylin brought me up to date on what had happened. I checked Iago before we left and he seems to have got over whatever made him sick. He was his usual charming self with the stable hands. He really is a one man horse! Arthur needs to reward that horse of yours for saving his life. He was actually concerned about him. Guess he didn't want to have to face you, if anything awful had happened to your beloved Iago."

'Sometimes,' Merlin thought, 'It's good to have proof that Arthur did have a kind bone in his body when it came to Iago.'

Spenser happily took over Gulfa's reins, "Was worried that I mightn't see you again, Girl." He said as he patted her.

Once they had remounted, Leon took his place next to Arthur. Merlin smiled to himself, tonight he would sleep in his own bed with Arthur. He'd missed any physical contact but with two strangers in their midst, they'd been careful even if Arthur had on more than one occasion gone to wrap his arms around him and then remembered at the last moment not to.

At one point, Arthur had almost growled at Gawaine who had spent what he considered an inordinate amount of time with his arm draped over Merlin's shoulders. Deep down, Arthur was happy, Melin was safe and sound and soon they would be home.

Merlin had taken the horse which Spenser had been riding. When Arthur had motioned for him to come and ride beside him, all hell had almost broken loose, as the feisty young mare who had not yet figured out the hierarchy of the knights' horses had taken an instant dislike to Favoury and kept pinning her ears back and whipped her tail around when the grey looked at her.

Arthur tutted blaming the rider but then had grinned, "They often say that the horse reflects the rider's attitude." He smiled and said with an arched eyebrow, "Have you gone off me, Merlin?"

Laughing Merlin relaxed and the mare took the opportunity to swing her rear towards Favoury preparing to kick. Merlin nipped that in the bud by giving her a thump in the ribs and pushing her forward into the bit reminding himself that this was not Iago who always treated his sister Favoury with respect.

He grinned sheepishly at Arthur, "Sorry, I let my mind wander."

"You can ride someone else's horse if you would feel more comfortable."

"No, I'll stick with this one…I think the excitement of being a lead horse with the noise of everyone else following her has excited her a bit. She'll settle."

Arthur said, "Let's give them a canter that should work." But work it didn't as the mare then decided she was in the Derby and wanted to stay ahead of Favoury even if it were only by a nose. Arthur fully enjoyed Merlin's discomfort and he kept suggesting helpful hints which Merlin acknowledged with choice language.

Arthur was laughing and Spenser turned to Leon and said, "Somethings never change!"

"What's her name?" Arthur asked.

"Don't know but I can think of a few choice words to call her," Merlin replied. Finally the novelty of being first wore off and by the time they reached the meadow to the east of Camelot, Merlin's mare had settled somewhat.

-0-0-

The turrets of Camelot cast elongated shadows as they approached. Merlin had known that once they were within sight, he would feel the stress and anxiety slipping away as he was being welcomed back into the family fold. He sighed.

Arthur who was riding beside him smiled as whatever drug had been introduced into Merlin's body was obviously dissipating. He couldn't vouch for how well he had slept as they had not been together but he seemed more like his former self as each hour passed. He could feel his heart quickening as he realised that tonight they would be together and woe betide anyone who decided to interrupt them.

The horses clattered into the courtyard, Arthur pleased that no delegation of irate Council Members were waiting for him on the steps. He rode up and dropped off his horse, a groom immediately stepped forward and took Favoury also waiting for Merlin to hand him his reins.

Merlin said, "Watch this one as she's fiesty." The mare then went off quite happily with the man, walking sweetly beside Favoury as if they were used to being turned out together and they were best of friends.

Arthur watched them and putting his arm over Merlin's shoulders said, "Women!"

Merlin watched as Gawaine spoke with the Sergeant-At-Arms. Presumably arranging that Harry and Owen had somewhere to stay overnight as Arthur wanted to see them tomorrow after the Council meeting.

Sir Rupert of Sloane, Romney's father-in-law had been left in charge during Arthur and Leon's absence, he stepped forward and welcomed Arthur home. "Nothing ill to report, Sire!"

"Thank you, Sir Rupert, you can bring me up to date on any matters needing my attention tomorrow. Tonight, I intend to eat with a few of my knights and retire early. Some of our accommodation was questionable. Join us for supper as there are a few things I'd like you to hear."

Merlin meanwhile had been waylaid by a worried Gaius. "Whatever did you get up to, My Boy? I received worrying information about your horse. Treva was in a real state." Merlin looked around expecting to see him.

Gaius continued, "It's his friend Henry's birthday and he was invited to eat with Sir Graham and Lady Henrietta. I assured him that Arthur would be busy once he returned and that you would understand, but that he could see you tomorrow morning. Don't panic! I told Randall not to allow him to wake you up and that after you had eaten breakfast would be a civilised time. The kid was really torn about not being here but I encouraged him to go as the two of them are the best of friends and it would give me a chance to chat. You look a little under the weather...are you all right?"

"I am now but I have a vial which I would like you to look at." He reached into Simon's saddle bag which was over his arm and withdrew the leaf wrapped vial. "It's noxious, certainly a sleeping drug of sorts. There's not much in there but hopefully, enough for you to work out what it is."

"Leave it with me, I'll wait until I've identified it before I speak to you. Have a good supper and get some sleep, you look dead on your feet!"

Merlin smiled, having heard his mother say the same thing on many occasions. The two of them entered the door together and then Merlin set out after Arthur saying, " Good Night, Gaius! I'll see you tomorrow."

Merlin could hear the others ahead of him and walked faster to catch up.

-0-0-

Arthur was giving instructions to his friends, "Meet in my dining room in one hour. Visit your families to let them know you're back. Gawaine, did you find somewhere to put the other two?"

"Yes, it's all taken care of they can stay in Camelot until you have finished with them. Then they can go back to Shepton."

"Merlin? Oh there you are, see that Thomas has my chambers ready."

Merlin smiled to himself. Thomas would have been expecting the king's return and probably had the fires lit under the coppers in their water closet and knowing him, bath linens, oils and soaps laid out in abundance. The chamber fireplaces would have been lit and the bedding and nightwear aired. Suitable clothes for this evening's dinner would be laid out ready for Arthur to choose what he wished to wear. Thomas was an excellent manservant, discreet and trustworthy. Arthur had complete trust in him and Merlin regarded him highly.

The man Thomas was literally worth his weight in gold. Merlin had never known him to query any request, rather he executed it promptly in particular if it involved Arthur. He kept their chambers immaculate and spoiled even him as he saw that all their laundry was taken care off and returned immaculate. Merlin liked the man as he was unobtrusive and competent.

Not unlike himself, he decided and then laughed. He remembered the messes that he used to get into when he was looking after Arthur. 'Mind you,' he thought, 'He was never the easiest man to serve. Too demanding for my liking, a stickler for specific creases in his good linen tunics so they fell properly and that never-ending insistence on punctuality.' The latter for which Merlin had spent his time being chastised as he was habitually late.

He laughed as he walked to their chambers. Those were the days, maybe not as good as the present ones but full of laughable events and in retrospect good memories.

-0-0-

Thomas was in the antechamber as Merlin came in. He said, "Good Afternoon, Sir! Glad to see that King Arthur and you have safely returned."

Merlin had given up trying to get Thomas to refrain from calling him Sir so they had reached an agreement. Thomas could use it once upon greeting him in the morning or should Merlin be with a group of knights or dignitaries. Otherwise, he would address him as Merlin. Thomas held strictly to proprieties. Everyone else called him Merlin but Thomas was a stickler for tradition.

"No more glad than I am to be here, Thomas! Everything under control here?"

"The king's armour is polished and the damaged links of chain mail repaired. His second pair of boots have been resoled, your knife hilt has been fixed and the broken candle stand moved and replaced by a new one.

"There is hot water for bathing and all supplies have been left out. The fire will be lit in the dining room and the table is already set. The meal will be on the table at the requested time. Will I be needed to serve supper tonight?"

"No, once the food is on the table, we'll manage ourselves. Leave the platters with the extra food on the sideboard. It will just be the usual group of knights eating with us. Tell the kitchen sufficient for ten and plenty of drink as Gawaine and the others will be thirsty. Tomorrow's breakfast could be served a couple of hours later than usual."

"Should I leave fruit, cheese and bread in the antechamber in case you're up earlier?"

Merlin nodded and Thomas turned to leave saying, "I'm happen to see you back safely as the rumour went around that you had been hurt. Young Treva would ask me every time he saw me if I had heard any news." He smiled, "I think that he asked the same of everyone else." He nodded at Merlin and left to light the fire in the king's private dining room.

Merlin walked through to the bedchamber, remembering how he once had been left in Ealdor with the women and the kids next door when Hunith had gone to get some rare herbs in a neighbouring village's market. It had been the longest day in his life and he had also spent the day asking, "Is my Mam back yet?"

The fire was lit in the bedchamber and the room looked peaceful and inviting. The sight of the bed made him feel tired and he would quite happily have thrown himself onto it and fallen asleep.

He walked into the water closet and checked that everything was ready for Arthur to have a wash. He'd have to bathe after supper as there wasn't enough time now as he had not yet arrived in their chambers. He picked what clothes he wanted to wear, then went to where Thomas had laid things out for Arthur and made a decision, leaving him no choice would shorten the time he needed to get dressed.

'Talk of the devil,' he said to himself as he heard Thomas saying, "Good Evening, Sire! I'm on my way to see the cook about your supper."

Arthur said, "Thank you, Thomas." After which Merlin heard the distinctive sound of the door to the antechamber being bolted.

"Merlin? Where are you?"

"I should be asking you that. I've been waiting here twiddling my thumbs. Now, there's not enough time for you to bathe properly"

"Sure there is, I can be in and out in no time. When I bathe in the river, I'm in and out fast."

"That's exactly as I said, Arthur! Now, there is no time for you to bathe _properly_."

Arthur came up behind Merlin and wrapped his arms around him. "I wanted to do this to you ever since we found you. It was so hard keeping my hands away from you. Come here!" He turned him and nuzzled into his neck.

Merlin understood exactly what Arthur meant. He had felt rotten that first day after he'd escaped. He'd just wanted everyone to go away and leave him alone with Arthur. He thought how difficult it must be for the married couples to be parted when knights went off on extended excursions or war leaving their families behind. Surely some of them missed them. He knew that Camelot ladies all closed ranks to help wives whose husbands were missing.

Separation was one of the most difficult things to cope with and looking at Arthur, he thanked his lucky stars that they were able to spend so much time together. However, that didn't mean that they had time to mess around, he said, "Just get washed for now and then tonight once everyone has left you can luxuriate in the bath till dawn if you wish."

"That depends," Arthur said seriously, "Is that to be a solitary soak or do you think you might be able to persuade someone to join me in the bath?"

Merlin grinned saying, "I'm sure I might be able to persuade one of the others but only if you get washed and dressed now as otherwise you will be greeting your guests in your smalls…"


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11 : FATHERHOOD BY PROXY**

It was obvious to Leon that Arthur and the knights Aislin and Gawaine who had been away since before the Sir Gedwynn's accident, were ready to retired.

He took his cue when Merlin yawned and Arthur had said, "Beddy Byes, Merlin?"

Leon suggested they continued drinking downstairs. He was surprised when Gawaine the ultimate party goer, stood up announcing that he was bushed and ready for bed. Aislin offered to walk with him noticing that Gawaine had a container of ale with him. "…and isn't it just in case I get thirsty during the night?" he confided to Arthur.

Arthur rolled his eyes saying to Aislin, "You carry it as it will likely be broken before he gets to his chamber."

The senior knight Sir Rupert said that his age was showing as he too, was ready for bed. Romney joked saying, "You have many years in you yet. I expect you to teach Little Rupert how to fence!" The others laughed and he bid them goodnight accompanying his father-in-law to the married knights' wing.

Merlin smiled as the room emptied. It had been a good idea having the group together as it kept Spenser's mind on other things. He'd twice been to see Simon who was still at Gaius's.

Even with Simon's feet medicated and wrapped in bandages, Gaius was still worried about infections as the blistering and bruising were intense.

Spenser had said to Simon, "Why hadn't you holed up somewhere? Wewould have found you..."

"I couldn't as Merlin had been knocked out and disappeared…I had to get to Arthur."

Spencer smiled, "You're a good friend and a loyal knight. Now, try to get some sleep and let Gaius know if your feet hurt as I'm sure he'll give you something for the pain." Gaius who had been listening nodded.

-0-0-

"Now are you ready to have a bath?" Merlin asked Arthur.

"If you think I'm going to wake up sufficiently to get into a bath, you're crazy!"

Merlin was blowing out the candles in the dining room and Arthur waited until he had finished and then grabbing his hand towed him off along the hall to the bedroom.

"Arthur, the door to the anteroom was it locked?" Arthur shrugged. "Well, you'll be the sorry one if we're woken by Treva at dawn."

Arthur hardly able to hold his head up said, "He wouldn't?" Merlin walked him to the bed saying, "He has before now! Slip out of your clothes and I'll go check the door."

By the time he had checked the corridor door and the door off the anteroom into their private chambers, he returned to a half clad Arthur sprawled across the bed fast asleep. Merlin grinned saying, "Oh, you of little stamina!" He managed to get his boots and trousers off but wasn't strong enough to get him in a seated position to take off Arthur's tunic but he managed to remove his belt. He threw a light blanket over him.

He stripped off and slid into the bed, next to Arthur but between the nice clean sheets. He pushed Arthur's arms out of the way and shoved his legs over to give himself a little more room. 'Let, the Mighty One figure out how to find me if he wakes up with ideas of other than sleeping,' he thought. But right now he was tired, he smiled it was good to be back in Camelot, in a safe bedchamber, a very comfortable bed shared with an occupant whom he really loved.

Merlin let his head drop on the pillow. He picked up the slight scent of lavender and camomile from the little cotton packet of dried herbs which Gaius had him insert into their pillows to help Arthur sleep.

The sheets felt cool and clean against his body. What a change from sleeping on prickly straw in an animal shed! Mind you, he didn't mind sleeping on freshly fallen autumn leaves or on the soft green grass in the spring he decided.

He rolled over and bumped into Arthur. The space he had was limited as Arthur's weight above the covers, kept the sheets tightly against him. However, he was so tired that he knew that he'd probably sleep like a log. That was his last conscious thought.

It was dark when Arthur came to. He didn't bother opening his eyes, just automatically reached for Merlin. His hand found nothing. He felt only a pile of what he took for granted as bedding. His body was sleep deprived and with his arm outstretched, he fell back to sleep.

Almost immediately, he was swept away into a world of longing, a world of loneliness and horror.

 _A_ _body_ _lies on the clapper bridge. A jacket obscuring the face but Arthur recognises the boots, trousers and tunic. The_ _hands_ _are pale. Arthur moves to walk forward but Gawaine holds him back and Leon walks_ _forward_ _…_

 _Arthur kn_ _ows by the way Leon's shoulders slump that it is Merlin's body and that he is dead. He had hoped that it was someone else in his stolen clothes. Arthur's mind explodes, he yells_ _, "No,_ _not Merlin!" and falls to his knees. It is all his fault._

 _Merlin insists that the river crossing which he proposes is not safe but they are running late and he overrules his objections, arguing that the horses are capable, well accustomed to crossing rivers, even those in flood._

 _Merlin remains sceptical, again trying to argue against the crossing. Arthur says crossly, "Merlin, enough!"_

 _Merlin s_ _ays softly,_ _"Then, Arthur, let me go first. Wait for me to reach the far bank before allowing_ _anyone else_ _to follow me..." H_ _e glances_ _away from the river and back_ _a_ _t Arthur smiling sadly_ _before saying, "Be careful! Look after yourself…and thank you_ _!_ _" Arthur feels a frisson of ice race up his spine._

 _Giving Iago his head, Merlin lets him_ _slide down the bank to the little sliver of beach. He turns back to smile and Arthur's heart freezes, it is as if he's saying goodbye. Had there been time, Arthur might have yelled for him to stop, but there is none._

 _Iago goes calmly into the river, halfway across Arthur sees the horse being pulled around so it is facing upstream. Just as quickly, it is swung back by the current, yet the surface of the waters remains_ _calm._ _An undercurrent is playing havoc with the horse._

 _Arthur sees Merlin pulled from the saddle and dumped into the water. Gawaine spurs his horse forward riding through the trees keeping level with his friend._

 _However, as the river claims both horse and rider…they disappear._

 _Arthur races after Gawaine but there is no longer any proof that a horse and its rider were ever in the river._

 _Leon leads the remained knights back to the track leading along the river in the direction of the current. It takes them a half hour to reach more level ground with an unimpeded view of a now less turbulent section of the river._

 _Spenser on foot leads a group backtracking up the riverbank, his heart dropping when he sees the body of the chestnut horse wedged against driftwood on a sand bar. Merlin is nowhere to be found._

 _Arthur and Gawaine finally meet up with Spenser's group. They can tell by Spenser's face that the news isn't_ _good. He explains that he had found Iago but_ _no_ _t_ _Merlin._

 _"He's all right then, probably just carried a little further down stream," Arthur_ _says_ _, adding to the knights, "Find him!"_

 _They turn and walk back. Finally, without any luck, they reach the horses. Arthur makes his way to Leon who clasps his elbow before walking to the old bridge._

 _Merlin's body had been trapped against the stone slabs and two knights wade in to retrieve it. They lie it on the bridge, waiting for the king…_

-0-0-

Merlin woke to Arthur's thrashing; he felt trapped. Remembering that Arthur was on top of the bed but he had crawled between the sheets, he knew he had to slide toward the edge of the bed as the sheets and Arthur's body on top of them were hampering his movements.

The thrashing progressed into plaintive whimpering of his name, repeated over again in succession, each time quieter and more resigned until with a heartbreaking sigh there was silence.

Merlin by then had managed to free himself and was now sitting on the bed, he whispered, "Arthur it's me. Wake up, you're dreaming..."

Arthur opened his eyes to darkness and a disembodied voice, then he felt Merlin beside him and grabbed for him getting his knee. "We found Iago but not you and then Caedrik found you caught under the bridge. I won't let you go again."

He hung on with such force that Merlin finally had to say, "You're hurting me, Arthur! Wake up, I'm right beside you."

He regretted that he hadn't lit the night candle but he had been so tired, he'd forgotten. "Arthur, open your eyes, you're in bed...we're back in Camelot." He managed to reach Arthur's head and gently tapped his cheek to keep him awake. The pain in his knee was excruciating but he was loath to try to remove Arthur's hand as should he grasp onto his hands with the same force it might have resulted in broken bones.

Slowly the pressure on his knee relaxed, Merlin kept talking while stroking Arthur's hair out of his eyes. When he realised he was fully conscious he asked, "What happened?"

"Can't talk about it now, it's still too vivid. Hold me Merlin!"

...and Merlin did.

-0-0-

"Aye, aye!" said Gawaine with raised eyebrows the following morning as Merlin hobbled after Arthur and Leon into the meeting room.

"Gawaine, get you mind out of the gutter! I hurt my knee that's all, " Merlin hissed.

Arthur glanced back at them looking distinctly uncomfortable. Leaning toward Merlin, Gawaine grinned adding, "A likely story...!"

Gawaine was only silenced, when Arthur turned and in a hardly controlled voice said, "Shut Up, Gawaine! Now is not the time nor the place…"

-0-0-

As meetings go, the council meeting wasn't too long. Merlin sat there trying to keep his mind on things but he kept drifting back to Arthur's nightmare and Treva's visit, one so negative and the other positive.

As they had been finishing breakfast, Treva had come bouncing in full of the joys of whatever occupied a young page's life. He'd had a lovely meal with Henry's family, he had leant three new words in French and Michael one of the young squire's had broken his arm, trying to climb up the outside of the building. The squire master was really cross and the court Ladies have given the pages in their care a lecture about doing stupid, dangerous things.

He sighed satisfied to be with Arthur and Merlin. He went behind Arthur's chair and put his arms around his neck telling him that Henry and some of their friends had thought that Michael had been very clever as he had managed to get up to almost the second floor before he had slipped.

Arthur had turned around smiling and grabbed the boy pulling him to lean against his knees and assured him that he wouldn't think it funny if Treva did anything so stupid. Then he ruffled his hair and gave him a parting swat on his bottom.

Treva laughed and ran to Merlin curling into his chest, "But you wouldn't be cross, would you, Merlin?"

Merlin kissed the top of his head saying, "Disappointed in you and sad to think that you didn't realise how much Arthur and I would miss you if anything happened to you. So yes, I guess I would also be cross."

Treva stood there smiling and said, "Don't worry, I promise that before I do anything silly, I will first ask Arthur's permission. Then realising how silly that sounded he started to laugh. The three of them were still laughing when there was a tap on the door and Randall appeared.

"Master Treva, you have a Class in Manners with the Lady Katherine this morning and you can't be late as that would be bad manners."

Merlin burst out laughing as Randall realised what he had said. Arthur said, "Well, Treva, you'd better go. Here, take these oranges for you and Henry but I'm warning you that if you eat them in front of the others they will be all over you like flies."

"Really?" said the boy wide-eyed, "With wings…?"

Randall said, "Sire, I will take them and put them in Master Treva's chamber and he and Henry can have them later today." He nodded and waited for Treva to hug both Merlin and Arthur and then escorted him out of the room.

As the door closed on the servant and Treva, Arthur said, "It makes everything worthwhile, doesn't it Merlin, when you see him healthy and strong. If we had not arrived when we did, that little individual might have been lost forever. They say that youth deals best with adversity and I think that our Treva exemplifies that statement."

"Arthur, you have to give yourself some credit. You have been instrumental in getting him to where he is. His parents, God rest their souls laid the foundation and you have carried on providing the love and interest needed for a boy to grow up."

When they had first found Treva or really when Treva had found them, he had clung exclusively to Merlin. Following a sickening attack in the woods, the boy had lost his siblings and his parents. The sole surviving member of Sir Roger and Lady Vanessa De Vire's family, Trevor Harold De Vire, heir to the family fortunes had been left alone in the world.

Arthur had been impressed with the lad and watching him bond with Merlin he had decided to make him his ward. The idea was that he would return under supervision to his father's estates but that had failed miserably and Merlin had welcomed him with open arms when Arthur had decided that he might as well live in Camelot.

Treva was special and soon his love of Merlin had broadened to encompass Arthur as well.

He'd confided in Merlin who tried not to laugh, "If you are going to love Arthur that much, I think I'm going to do the same." Arthur had fallen under his spell and a codicil was added to the Decree of Wardship with Merlin named as a co-patron.

All lands belonging to the De Vire family were taken into safe keeping by the king, to revert to Treva when he was of age. Treva although he didn't realise it, was one very rich little boy.

Merlin was so proud of Arthur. He had grown into a loving father not an easy task as he had never experienced a father's love, learning about loving from Gaius and his nursemaids. He had once confided in Merlin that his father had never wrapped his arms around him and that he would look in wonder as Sir Rodney would hug his sons Piers and Spenser and Sir Baldwin would hug Leon.

Arthur had impressed Merlin at how affectionate he had become with Treva and he also seemed to enjoy the children of his knights not scaring the hell out of them as had Uther.

Merlin came to disturbed by the shuffling of chairs and benches. The meeting was over and he only hoped that nothing out of the way had happened and he would get a run down of the main points from Spenser.

He had once used Gawaine but that had been hopeless as he had made up half of what he had told him and Merlin had innocently congratulated Arthur upon his awarding old Lord Pickstaff a country home only to find out that Arthur had, in reality said how sorry he had been to hear that Sir Mortimer Pickstaff had succumbed to old age.

Merlin had come clean and apologised that he must have dozed off and Arthur had finally laughed telling everyone about it later that night at supper.

Gawaine when waylaid, had shrugged saying, "Well, you were so intent that I just made up things, how did I know that you were going to say anything to Arthur? He must have been surprised at how you had interpreted his sad news!" He grinned at Merlin and the next minute they were propped up against the corridor walls, in peals of laughter.

-0-0-

He had caught up with Spenser who was on his way to Gaius's to visit Simon.

Melin said, "When Simon offered to stay with me when I was helping with Owen, I should have refused. I'm also sorry that Iago didn't cooperate but you know him, an excellent horse but a little quirky. He honestly does like people but not if he thinks they're going to climb on his back. He also has an aversion to grouse as one day, one flew into his face and gave him the scare of his life…"

"…yes, but you love him dearly and he is a mighty fine looking horse."

"Do you think so?" Merlin beamed, "I sometimes wonder if I am the only person who sees his good looks as everyone else only notices how difficult he can be."

Spenser put his arm across Merlin's shoulder saying, "It's more important what you think about your horse than what other people think about him."

They had reached Gaius's door and Merlin burst in saying, "Gaius, you have visitors!"

Simon was sitting on a cot, certainly seeming happier than when Merlin had first seen him.

Merlin said, "How are the feet?"

"A little better, Gaius has some very interesting formulas as at one point I thought I was racing over the moors without any pain."

Spenser grinned saying, "You sound a lot better!"

There was a tap at the door and a squire entered telling Gaius that the Squire Master wanted him to drop by as two of the squires were under the weather.

Gaius packed up a few things and went to leave. He told Simon, that he was not to get up and asked Spenser if he would keep at eye on him until he returned. Spenser didn't need to be asked twice saying, "I will see that he does exactly as you said." Then he turned and grinned at his friend.

Gaius just raised his eyes to heaven and shook his head. Merlin was going to ask him what he meant by that, when he remembered why he had chased down Spenser in the first place.

"I need to know was there anything which happened at the meeting that I should know about?"

"But you were there, weren't you?"

"Yes, but miles away! I would have asked Gawaine but he's hopeless, a duff gen merchant."

Spenser grinned saying, "Nothing much happened, Arthur is dining alone tonight and we have the rest of the day off because of our hard work over the last few days. He wants to see Owen and Harry tomorrow." Merlin nodded, making a mental note to not only be physically present but mentally alert as well. Spenser continued, "That's really all, but when you leave, if you bump into some pages could you send them down here as I would like to order lunch for two. Simon and I will eat and I'll wait here until Gaius gets back."

Merlin said, "I'll send the message down. Anything in particular?"

"No," said Simon, "Anything that is going will be fine."

"Well, I'm glad to see you feeling so much better. I'm just going to check in with Gaius. I think he's worried that whatever the squires have might be contagious. I couldn't go through that quarantine again."

"You were just unlucky to have been treating them when Gaius put the wing off limits." He laughed adding, "I don't think we could go through that either, Arthur was short-tempered and nothing anyone did was good enough for him."

Merlin left them and bumped into a two pages. He gave them the message cautioning them to go straight to the kitchen as otherwise two knights might die of starvation. That really impressed them and they jogged off. He smiled remembering that the pair rule for pages had been initiated because of Simon's experience with a visiting prince. That was years ago but the Ladies of the Court still insisted that it be followed.

Next person whom he met was Rhylin notifying him that Arthur was looking for him. He asked him to return to Arthur explaining to him that he would be with him shortly as he had to see Gaius first, whom he later bumped into returning to his chambers, from the squires' quarters. He smiled at Merlin saying that it had been nothing more than dietary indiscretion as the boys had gorged on some crayfish which had obviously been inadequately cooked and they had lived to regret their rash actions.

Merlin remembered as a child finding a heavily laden cherry tree and how he and the other kids had treated themselves to loads of cherries and lived to regret that as well...


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12 : OF KNIGHTS AND MEMORIES**

One day, a royal message arrived from King Peter of Montbus. The king sent his greetings suggesting that it might be a suitable time for his family to once again visit the Pendragons.

The family consisted of the elderly King Peter of Montbus, his wife the Queen Zaerian, his son Crown Prince Paul and his unmarried daughter the Princess Petra. Also accompanying the king were Prince Paul's wife Rosann and their children, various companions, royal retinue and supporting staff.

Arthur sent a response inviting the King and his party to stay until after harvest.

King Peter had lost his kingdom when Uther defeated him claiming the kingdom of Montbus as spoils of war and annexing it to Camelot. However, the two men had remained on speaking terms if not exactly friends over the years.

King Peter retained occupancy of the family homes, a castle, a manor house, a hunting lodge and surrounding lands as a courtesy. Montbus was no more, the lands in reality belonging to Uther who as a favour had allowed the Montbus family to live there.

The royal couple had been regular visitors before Uther died. At which time King Peter had found out that upon his own death all his homes would revert to Camelot, forcing his family and staff to find alternate accommodation.

Arthur knew that visitors would mean more official dinners but he'd done it before still managing to live his own life. He hoped King Peter and his family were going to be easy guests. Two months is a long time to entertain especially if you dislike your guests.

Calling an immediate Council Meeting, Arthur announced the impending arrival of the Montbus party mid July to mid October He then left them to plan welcoming celebrations and the like. A council member was told to request that the Lord Chamberlain and his assistant Humphrey attend the meetings.

The extended family would have their accommodation in one of the castle's guest wings. Chambers had to be cleaned, aired and prepared. In some instances, guests would travel with their own mattresses and even beds, chairs and large travelling chests. Their luggage would arrive ahead of them in wagons as would minor servants. Personal servants would travel with the family. The priority was for it to be a smooth transition. Should they need extra staff they could be supplemented on occasion by the castle staff.

Arthur decided not to spend too much time worrying about it, leaving it in the hands of his staff. He had at least a month prior to their arrival.

Things progressed smoothly in the kingdom, the outlying villages had all been visited and wherever necessary food provisions and seeds for planting had been received. He wanted the villages to be as self sufficient as possible. Villages were the furthest outposts of the kingdoms boundaries and often the first to report intruders with ulterior motives into the kingdom. The weather was excellent and soon the fields around Camelot were planted out.

-0-0-

Arthur one afternoon, mentioned to the Knights, that in the late summer, he was expecting guests and he confessed that he was not looking forward to having them stay for two months and he asked them to help lighten the load.

"Prince Paul, the Crown Prince and any other Montbus knights of which there will probably only be a handful, could train with our group. The ladies will be entertained by the wives of the Camelot knights and their children can play with the castle children."

"Won't some of the ladies want to do falconry and maybe go riding? There are many beautiful promenades in the area, they could even have picnics near the lake," said Gavin who had the experience of three married sisters.

"Thank you, Gavin, you can be the Activities Coordinator for our female guests! Speak to Lady Catherine, I'm sure she will be only to happy to take you under her wing."

Gawaine was howling with laughter. As Arthur noticing him, grinned and said, "Ah, Gawaine, I thought you might like to accompany Gavin's nephews and nieces while he and his sisters are entertaining the ladies. You could have play groups and excursions to sites of interest. I hear that the Holy Well and the ruins at High Stowe come highly recommended."

Laughter spread around the group at the look of dismay on Gawaine's face. He had hoped that he might have been in charge of introducing the visiting knights to the delights of Camelot's ale houses, for both libation and entertaining the comely serving wenches. His features deflated. Maybe, Merlin would be willing to put in a word for him as he really didn't enjoy the company of children, as he found their unbridled energy and continual questions off-putting.

Realising that he had accomplished his mission, Arthur put both of them out of their misery when he assured them that he had other people who would do those jobs and probable make a better job of it than they would have.

Gawaine grinned in relief saying, "I need a drink, anyone like to visit the tavern before supper?" A few of the group took him up as Arthur and Merlin returned to the castle.

"You know, Merlin, if you want to join them you can however," he said with a wink, "I have an exceptional jug of mead hidden away for occasions such as these."

"Arthur, have you no shame? You let them go off for ale and inferior liquor as you intend to closet yourself away with the real stuff."

"One of the perks of being the King of Camelot, Merlin," he smiled as he added, "…and you as the second most important person in Camelot...after me, that is...my best friend and lover, will be invited to partake of this particular nectar."

Grinning Merlin said, "Slightly big headed are we?"

However, Arthur just nodded in affirmation and placing his arm over Merlin's shoulders, they made their way back to their chambers.

-0-0-

In the castle one of the most important times was arriving as Arthur would be officiating at the investiture of the senior squires. Five young men were qualified, one of them being Rhylin brother of Sir Romney.

The knights-in-waiting had been measured for their uniforms and more mature knights and family friends had been approached to act as sponsors. The Squire Master had submitted the names of the candidates to the king and at a meeting, the names were announced and any knight present who had a reservation about the suitability of the candidate was expected to speak out in front of the assembly.

Should this occur, a senior knight would then approach the Squire Master and the knight's mentor. The candidates chose a specific knight to be their mentor for their last year to help prepare them and to weed out any young man who needed an extra year or who maybe should be excluded from ever becoming a knight of Camelot.

The age of the pages was from seven to fourteen and another seven years as squires would see them as candidates at twenty-one. After fourteen years under the capable eyes of the Ladies of the Court and the Squire Master very few unsuitable candidates were presented. Each one of them was awaiting the moment when they felt the weight of the king's sword on their shoulders and before the assembly of the knight, their families and friends heard the words as Arthur said, "Arise Sir Knight!"

One very warm night, Arthur and Merlin were in the solar in front of the open window that overlooked the valley, trying to take advantage of any available breeze. Merlin asked Arthur about his investiture,"Of course, for you it would be no surprise as you knew that you would be knighted, right?"

"Not really, as I started early as a page, I was only a six years old and in my last year, I was worried that my father might decide that as I was twenty and one year younger than the other candidates I would not be eligible. I knew that I excelled in combat…"

"Combat, isn't the only thing, what about the values and virtues of being a knight?"

"Merlin, this is my story and I'll get to that. Sir Rupert as my mentor, assured me that I was ready but it wasn't until I was measured for my red cloak that I felt that it was possibly going to happen.

"We were all very excited but also daunted by what lay ahead of use. Most of us had fathers or grandfathers who were knights but to be a Knight of Camelot was something always desired but not easily attained."

"I would have had complete confidence in your becoming a knight. You are haughty enough and you swagger when you walk, you were made for that red cloak!" Merlin added.

"I don't swagger!"

"You most certainly do, your cloak flows out behind you and I can't ever remember seeing you stumble over it."

"Merlin, knights don't trip over their cloaks, they are born to wear them with ease. It is our comportment and the years of training, wearing cloaks even as squires that makes us able to carry it off."

"I know, 'head up, chest out, gut in and bum down'."

Arthur laughed saying, "I'll give you 'bum down' if you don't stop interrupting me. Do you want to hear about the investiture or not?"

"Yes, please, Oh Mighty Knight, so that one day I might aspire to wearing the red cloak and swaggering around like a girl."

Arthur grabbed him holding him against himself, "There are a few things to know about us and the first thing is that we are not girls."

Merlin came back with, "Arthur, have you ever seen a group of your knights standing around with their cloaks draped over their arms like the trains on the festive dresses of the court ladies?" He grinned adding, "You look like bunch of wusses!"

Arthur grinned and said, "You'd better not let Gawaine hear you say that…"

"He knows that's why his cloak is tapered so that he doesn't have to hang onto it yet it still falls perfectly and covers his horse's rump…" Merlin looked stricken, "Oops! I promised never to say anything about that. Arthur, promise me that you won't say anything, as he will know who let the cat out of the bag."

Arthur put his arm around Merlin's shoulders as he said, "Your secret is safe with me." However, he intended to check that Gawaine's cloak was regulation length and see if what Merlin had let slip was true.

"The length of the cloak is proportionate to the height of the wearer. It is made to flare out as the knight strides out!"

A voice said, "Actually, minces might be a better description for some of the knights."

"Merlin, listen to me, none of the Camelot knights mince. They stride out to face dangers and to take on all comers."

Grinning Merlin says, "Right, Arthur! Sir Bruce does a marvellous rendition of a stride."

…and this time Arthur trying to keep a straight face, threatened to throttle him if he made any more disparaging remarks however, Merlin just grinned awaiting his next opportunity.

"Anyway," as I was saying, "Before I was rudely interrupted, the day of the investiture came and we had to spend the previous night in silent contemplation and prayer in the Grand Hall. There were eight of us and we wore white cloaks and fasted from mid afternoon. It's strange what goes through your mind when you are awake in the middle of the night and such a momentous thing is going to happen to you the following day. Innocuous things, I wondered if the king had ever forgotten any candidate's name and I hoped I didn't fall over as I turned to descend the stairs. You know we had never worn the full cloak until it is put on our shoulders after we are invested."

Merlin actually became quiet. He knew that Arthur was more proud of being a knight of Camelot than actually being the king. Knighthood was earned and the kingship had been his by right of birth. He was happier when he was fighting skirmishes with his men than when he was talking from the throne. He knew that the others looked up to him but he sometimes had questions that he was maybe not the best king.

Merlin knew of this, as one night they had lain in bed and spoken about their fears until a sliver of light was on the horizon. Merlin's fear was that he would not be worthy of looking after Arthur. That one day he might slip up and lose him. To be shunned for the rest of his life as someone who had not been able to protect his king. He knew that it would not be the loss of a king which would worry him rather the loss of the man Arthur. The man only he really knew and without whom he really didn't think that he would want to live.

Arthur continued, "Following the night in the hall, we were taken to break our fast and have a chance to relax before being assembled to face the king, our mentors, sponsors and families."

"Were you excited?"

"Beyond excited more like scared shitless. We knew we had the strengths and skills needed but we would pledge in the Code of Chivalry to be not only strong and brave but to fear God, to protect not only our liege lord the king but also our fellow knights, the weak and defenceless, to never refuse a challenge, to live by honour and glory eschewing deceit, meanness and monetary gains. We pledged to help widows and orphans and to respect the honour of women."

"…and have you?"

"To the best of my ability…"

Merlin turned and slipped his arm around Arthur placing his head on his chest saying, "I know you have, I just wanted the opportunity to let you tell me yourself. Keep going, I want you to hear what happened next."

"We were led into the Grand Hall by the Squire Master. Our sponsors were there as were our families and all the men who would soon be our brother knights. Our sponsors removed our white cloaks and when the Squire Master called your name, you walked forward individually to stand before my father and swear your allegiance to him and Camelot and also to profess your pledge to the Code of Chivalry.

During the pledge, Sir Rupert as my mentor had his hand on my shoulder and my sponsor stood behind me. Uther had asked Sir Rupert if I were a worthy candidate for investiture and he acknowledged the question by saying, 'Yes, Sire, Arthur is worthy'. I think I was shaking in my boots at that point.

"Uther said, 'Step forward!' and I mounted the stairs and knelt before him. I couldn't believe what was happening and the next thing I remember, Uther said, 'Arthur my son... Arise, Sir Knight!' There was a deafening round of applause and I stood and walked to the bottom of the steps."

"…and you didn't trip?"

"No, Merlin, no one tripped and certainly not me. I was not only a Crown Prince, I was now a Knight of Camelot." Arthur smiled softly remembering that wondrous feeling. He had been by his father's words accepted into the Brotherhood of the Knights.

Merlin glanced at him and said nothing allowing him time to relish the memories. He sighed, he would have been so proud to have stood in the crown of servants in the Grand Hall and seen Arthur knighted.

"Sir Rupert put the red cloak of Camelot across my shoulders. My sponsor placed my belt and scabbard around my hips and Gaius representing my family handed me my sword. I slipped in into the scabbard feeling completely different than I had on every previous occasion. Sir Rupert handed me my spurs and one of the squires knelt to put them on my boots. It was quite emotional having one of my friends serve me. I then turned and made my way to my position before the dais as the other candidates were invested.

"Once we were all invested, Sir Bevan father of my best friend Edmund stood and said, 'For the Love of Camelot!' and everyone from the doddering Sir Aland down to the smallest page responded with 'For the Love of Camelot.' It must have been difficult for Sir Bevan as by rights, Edmund if he had lived would have been invested that day as well."

Arthur grew quiet as he remembered his friend who had died in his stead. Merlin took his hand and held it, his thumb making little circles. He knew that Arthur needed time to remember the sad as well as the joyous.

Finally he said, "Merlin, you would really have liked Edmund!" He shivered.

"Arthur, I think it's cooled off enough to go to bed, maybe no blankets just the sheets to cover us." He got up and walked to their bedchamber. Arthur followed him and he pulled back the quilt and blankets. Merlin lit the night candle at the bottom of the bed.

Arthur looked up at him and smiled, " You know Merlin, I can't decide if I like you better in the moonlight or candlelight."

"Well, Sir Knight, I'd opt for either but we certainly have more opportunity to show how much we love each other in the candlelight." Merlin slipped into bed beside him and was engulfed in Arthur's arms.

"I love you, you know that don't you, Merlin?"

"It hadn't escaped my attention, Sire!" said Merlin happily smiling to himself.

-0-0-

One morning, Arthur awoke and rolled over to find that the bed was empty. Then he remembered, today was a big day in Camelot, it was the Day of the Investiture. By early afternoon, they were be five more knights.

The castle was full of house guests as the five candidates' families were all present. Many of this year's candidates were from other areas and after spending at least seven years training in Camelot, with only yearly holidays back with their families, they naturally wanted their parents as witnesses of this momentous happening.

Of the squires, Rhylin had been born and raised in Camelot as had Royon and Rostyn twin sons of Sir Bartholomew but Aubrey was a nephew of King Brennes of Brecon and Marcus from Cornwall as he had followed his older brother Sir Matthew to Camelot.

Arthur sat on the edge of the bed and Merlin appeared with their breakfasts which had been placed in the antechamber by Thomas. "Good morning, Handsome!" he said as he walked across to the table. "Breakfast or a bath first. You don't have time for a three hour soak but you have time to get clean."

"I'll bathe first and then we'll eat. Arthur walked into the water closet and smiled, the fires under the coppers had been lit and the half filled bath water was hot. Merlin arrived and ran more water to fill it up. Arthur stripped off throwing his nightwear to Merlin who caught it deftly. The set up was perfect, the big bath, the soaps including his favourite soap as well as a variety of linens with the bath sheets placed before the fire to warm.

He thought, 'Facilities fit for a king!" He smiled, after all he was a king. "Shame, we are short on time, as I can think of a few things which we could do which might be fun."

"No, Arthur! You have a strict schedule. You will be having a private audience with the candidate's parents and extended family. These people have travelled a long way to see you."

"Not, so far, Sir Bartholomew will only be coming from the married knights quarters as will Rhylin's mother Lady Hester as she's been here for the last week visiting Romney and Mathilda's baby Rupert."

"You know what I mean."

Merlin upended a pitcher of water over Arthur's head and he spluttered, "Merlin, I've told you, warn me before you do that. I practically inhaled the whole thing!"

"No, you didn't! Anyway, your hair has to be clean and shiny so that you are by far the most attractive gentleman in the room." He bent over and gave Arthur a kiss on the back of the neck before saying, "…and here's another one."

Arthur stood up and Merlin continued rinsing him off, laughing to himself as he remembered the first time he had learned that he had to assist Arthur with his bath. He'd been shocked that the crown prince couldn't do something so basic for himself, which he had been doing since he was around eight.

Arthur lifted one foot to be rinsed, then put it on the mat beside the bath, while Merlin emptied another pitcher to rinse the soap and dirty water off the other.

Merlin smiled again and Arthur said, "What's so funny?" As Merlin walked to the fire to get the bath sheet.

"I was thinking of the first time I had to assist you when you bathed. I did the whole routine with my eyes closed, I was so embarrassed…"

"I remember, you dropped the bath sheet into the bath and I had to stand there chilled until you could get another one. Not as embarrassed now…are we, Merlin?" Arthur said smiling coyly.

Merlin looked at Arthur allowing his eyes to sweep down to this ankles. He grinned as he said cheekily, "Nothing I haven't seen before!"


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13 : AN UNATTAINABLE CHOICE**

Merlin stood to one side, looking over the crowded to capacity room which waited in silent expectation the arrival of the king and the candidates. On the dais, were Camelot's most senior knights and visiting royal dignitaries.

The hall was resplendent with the knights' standards and greenery. On the dais itself courtesy of the Ladies of the Court were two stands of white flowers representing the purity of the candidate intermingled with red blooms for the knights.

For the Ladies of the Court especially those who dealt with the pages, and the Masters of the Squires this event was the culmination of fourteen years of hard work and training. Not every boy entering as a seven year old page, made it to the investiture. So this was a special day filled with happiness and some sadness for boys who had died from illness or accidents.

Merlin's mind flashed back to Daffydd who had died as an eight year old and the squires lost when the plague had ravaged their numbers. Life was hard. His thoughts were interrupted by the announcement of the Sergeant at Arms to "Be Upright, for Your King!" Those important enough to merit seats rose.

Arthur arrived to assume his rightful position and Merlin moved to stand to the side of the dais. For the investiture, Arthur was wearing a white heavily embroidered doeskin doublet, over a gold tunic and over his shoulders his red cloak, on his head he wore the regal crown of Camelot. Merlin knew that he looked every part the king even though there had been a couple of moments when Arthur had complained earlier that morning at not just being able to dress as a knight.

"For heavens sake, Merlin, this is not a Christmas feast this is from one man to another. I am saying, 'Your efforts over the past fourteen years have been notice, you are now a knight of Camelot.'

"I agree, but this is special," chided Merlin, "There are visitors who will see that you take time to dress and consider this ceremony important. The families will look at you with pride that you feel so strongly about their sons that you go out of your way to show everyone. The candidates will know that you value their years of training and …I think you look smashing!"

Arthur smiled to himself, he knew that Merlin had been right. He did cut a fine figure and amidst all the candidates' family members in their finest outfits, he did not feel uncomfortable. He was glad that Merlin had insisted as he was getting admiring looks from all the ladies even the wives of the senior knights.

-0-0-

The investiture proceeded without delay. Rhylin approached Arthur. Sir Gawaine at his shoulder answered Arthur's question about the suitability of this candidate by stating, "The Squire Rhylin is worthy of being invested."

The Knights had had a good laugh when Romney had let slip that his brother wasconsidering having the knight as his mentor. Romney had visions of ale houses and wenches but he said nothing and was impressed when his brother explained that it was Gawaine's courage and his faithfulness to his brother knights, the king and Merlin which had decided him to approach him.

Arthur and Merlin had had a bet upon whether Gawaine would accept the challenge and Merlin walked away with a bottle of mead when Gawaine having seriously considered it, gave Rhylin an answer in the affirmative.

Arthur had said, "Merlin, you know the Knights probably better than anyone, how about choosing the knight you would have wanted as a mentor in your last year?"

Merlin had hummed and hawed then said, "Well, Spenser is rather special but then I like Simon's sense of humour. Rook can be rather brusque and I think Leon is way above me. Caedrik is very handsome and would add to the ceremony but then again Gavin is a sweetie pie...

"Merlin, you are not marrying one of them just hypothetically choose one as mentor."

"I know, but I had to figure out whom I would trust with my life and whom I would look up to and believe everything he said and whom I would..."

"OK, Merlin! I'm not playing this game any more!" Arthur went to stride off.

"All right, I've decided! He's special, a true friend, faithful, trustworthy, yet amusing, respected by everyone and admired by all the ladies."

Arthur was wondering who this paragon was and so impatiently raising his shoulders with palms outstretched, he said with a flourish, "...and so, Merlin…his name is…?"

"You, Arthur! You must have know it was going to be you. However, the big question is, Arthur, would you agree to be my mentor?"

Arthur had looked at Merlin in wonder. He saw the young manservant who was scared of his own shadow, let along Arthur's. He remembered when watching him walk about his chambers had given him the shivers. He remembered how Gaius had told him that if he did anything to upset or frighten him, he would not try to persuade Merlin to stay in Camelot.

He had recalled the tentative way Merlin had first touched him and his relief that there was something between them. He looked at the man in front of him and felt overwhelmed that this wondrous person should love him.

Merlin had said with a grin, "So, Arthur, would you have agreed to have been my mentor?"

Arthur his eyes filling with tears had said, "Merlin, every day I wonder what I have done in my life to deserve, you? The sunlight starts when you open your eyes in the morning and the moonlight fades when you fall asleep at night."

"Well, what happens if I wake you during the night?" asked Merlin with a sly grin.

"Then you are...the candlelight which lightens our chambers."

Merlin had walked towards him, bowed deeply and said,"Sir Knight, is there some area in which you see that I require your mentoring?"

Laughing, Arthur had said, "Is the door locked, Squire?"

-0-0-

Merlin watched as Arthur raised his sword and touched Rhylin on both shoulders. He said in a clear voice for all to hear, "Arise, Sir Knight!"

Rhylin looked up into Arthur's eyes and smiled. He'd been waiting so long to join his brother as a Knight of Camelot. He turned and descended the stairs...a knight of Camelot. He glanced at his mother who was wiping her eyes, as she thought of her husband, 'How proud you would have been Calder!'

Rhylin's red cloak was placed on his shoulders by Romney his brother, Sir Leon placed the belt around his hips and Lady Nester representing the Montlief family, gives him his sword in his father's absence.

Arthur turned and nodded as Marcus the nephew of King Brennes approaches and motioned for the royal representative of the king, to stand beside him as Marcus was invested.

In no time, Arthur had knighted the five squires. There was a private gathering for the newly invested and their families following the ceremony. It gave Arthur the opportunity to meet with his knights' families to congratulate the parents on their exceptional sons.

-0-0-

That evening there was a large banquet when the newly invested knights were formally acknowledged as they were presented individually to the assembly of knights, friends and major members of the castle family.

Sir Leon called them forward by their new titles...Sir Rhylin. He then turned to those assembled at the feast and announced, "Sir Rhylin of Calder, Knight of Camelot. The response from those gathered was, 'For the Love of Camelot!' The rafters echoed as each knight was introduced. The young men were then on a month's holiday with their families, returning to Camelot just before the annual tournament.

With a flourish of trumpets, the food began to arrive in the hall and it was paraded around for all the visitors to view. There were fishes which seemed to be leaping out of the dishes, Boars' head with red painted tusks decorated the platters containing pork, wild fowl from squabs to swans a favourite for regal feasts. Plates were laden with root vegetable piled in wondrous towering shapes. Fruits some very rare were placed on the king's table; the rest of the diners impressed that their monarch should have such food.

Sir Geoffrey of Monmouth waited for a nod from Arthur before reading the Prayer of Thanksgiving, however no one ate before the king had raised his knife.

Sir Rodney of Sherewell, father of Spenser, then rose to draw attention to the wondrous food before them which was there by the talent of the cooks, the ability of the Camelot hunters and men and woman who diligently raised not only the livestock but grew the fruits of the land. He concluded by saying that no one was unimportant and every member of the castle staff deserved credit for this wonderful feast.

He looked around at the families of the newly invested and said, "Let us not forget the reason for this gathering. Welcome to Camelot's fine new knights." A cheer rang out and then Arthur raised his knife to eat and the meal had started. The wine and mead on the important guests tables flowed freely as the evening progressed.

The desserts were special. The cooks having taken time to present beautifully decorated puddings and sweet meats. One favourite was the cake decorated as a red cloak.

A selection of food had been taken to the chamber of any knight who through age or illness was not able to attend the banquet. Nobody was forgotten on this special day.

An adjoining hall was used for dancing with musicians on drums, lutes and horns. The lords and ladies formed long lines and did intricate step patterns. There was a strict protocol of who was able to dance with whom and young maidens who might dance when it was only the Camelot knights and castle family present would not be allowed to dance in public or with strangers as it would be considered unbecoming behaviour for an unmarried young lady and it might result in her reputation being sullied and her being ignored as a suitable match for another family's son. The young men were treated more leniently but again they could only dance with the senior married ladies and their own family members.

To begin with the dance steps were stately and controlled. The lords and ladies weaving backwards and forwards with intricate steps but as the evening wore on it became more animated and even singing was involved.

No one went hungry from the top table to the minor guests along the walls of the hall, to the servants who had eaten in the late afternoon so that they would be able to serve until midnight. These servants would, once everything was cleared be able to enjoy the leftovers in the servants' hall and there would still be sufficient for the rest of the staff to taste the wonderful food the following day.

Merlin could tell that Arthur and his friends were going to be sleeping late the following morning. Arthur stood and followed by his closest friends departed for his private chambers where food and drink was available beyond the eyes of the public.

-0-0-

Slowly the knights departed until only Spenser remained, Then after one more drink, he too decided to call it a night. He had seemed quieter than usual. Arthur had mentioned being pleased to see Simon on his feet at the investiture and Spenser had added that he hadn't been able to attend the banquet as he was still experiencing pain and had decided to call it a night.

Merlin accompanied him to the door locking it after him. He then made his way across the antechamber passing through into the interior corridor which lead to their rooms. Thomas had a master key to all doors but the actual bedchamber.

Arthur had made his way to their bedchamber, he was sitting on the bed contemplating how to get off his other boot without landing on the floor. He was feeling no pain and pleased with himself that his doublet and at least one boot was on the bed.

Standing at the door, Merlin smiled. He knew that after all the drinking, Arthur was going to need help to get to bed as otherwise, he'd be sleeping in his boots and his pants. He walked over to him and bent down, telling him to stay still as he turned around and grasped the offending boot's heel in his hands, walked away hopefully with Arthur's boot in his hands.

There were boot jacks available in all the knights' bedchambers. Arthur's was quite elaborate, a wrought iron monstrosity, a recess with a step to balance on and a handrail to steady you as you wedged your heel into the recess and eased your foot out of the boot. However, Arthur had become used to someone else removing his boots, usually Merlin but on occasion Thomas or a squire.

Arthur deciding to help gave Merlin's rear a push with his other foot. The unexpected result was the Merlin fell forward in a rush with the boot in his hands. "Are you drunk, Merlin? Get up off the floor and stop playing silly billies!" Then he started laughing and in the end in desperation at being unable to stop him, Merlin did the same.

Finally, Merlin was able to undress and get into bed himself. He smiled as Arthur was fast asleep. He thought, 'Good thing they hadn't planned to discuss anything important before falling asleep.'

-0-0-

Merlin woke wondering if it was Thomas's placing their breakfast trays in the antechamber which had disturbed him. He lay there listening to Arthur's breathing and then realised that he could hear tapping.

Finally, he got out of bed and wrapped a dressing robe around himself as it was chilly. He walked down to the antechamber door and listened. He knew there was something on the other side of the door, bigger than a cat but not as big as an adult. The tapping started again and Merlin pulled back the bar and a quavering voice said, "Merlin?"

It was Treva barefoot wearing his night shirt and trousers, "I had to come to see you as it is important."

Fearing that something must have happened to Randall who would never have allowed him to wander the corridors dressed like that in the early morning, Merlin put his arm around him and drew him further into their chambers. "You're freezing! How long have you been in the antechamber?"

"I don't know, I sneaked in when Thomas arrived with the food but I waited a long time in the corridor until he arrived."

Saying, "You're going to get your death of cold!" Merlin whipped him off the cold flagstones and put him over his shoulder like a sack of vegetables.

Treva laughed, this was like when Merlin allowed him to wrestle with him. He was confident that he wouldn't get hurt and loved being upended by his... The boy realised he'd almost thought, 'Father.' The thought was momentary and not sad as those memories were fading and to him Merlin had assumed the father figure in his life even more so than Arthur had. Merlin had always been his favourite person bar none and that was why he was hanging over his shoulder on the way back to their bedchamber.

"You'll have to be quiet as Arthur is still asleep but at least you'll warm up in bed." Merlin opened the door as quietly as possible and gently dumped Treva on the bed, covering him with the blankets.

He went over and added kindling to the fire, waiting until it caught. He then piled on a few logs to take the chill out of the room. Returning to the bed he put his fingers to his lips for Treva to talk only in whispers, and slipped in beside him.

"Now, what was so important that you left your room without Randall's permission and sneaked into the antechamber? You know he'll be worried when he realises you are missing."

"No, he won't 'coz I left him a note on my bed…"

"Saying what?"

"That I had to come to see you about something important and that I would probably return after we'd all had breakfast together." He looked hopefully at Merlin.

Merlin smiled, he loved the ingenuity of the boy and wondered what was so important that he would leave his room practically in the middle of the night to find him. He also realised that Arthur had been wakened by their voices but that he was just lying there with a slight smile on his face.

Arthur had never encouraged Treva to think of Merlin's and his chambers as an extension of his own as they deserved privacy but on occasions such as this when there was something of utmost importance for him to ask Merlin, Arthur could be a little lenient.

"So, are you going to tell me what is so important?" Merlin asked.

The boy took a deep breath and launched into a long complicated story about pages, squires and knights and finally got to Rhylin.

He corrected himself with a smile, "Sir Rhylin isn't it, Merlin?" Merlin nodded. "Well, if I become a squire, and I study and train very hard, I would become a knight…wouldn't I?"

Merlin keeping his face serious nodded again. He knew that Arthur was following the long drawn out tale as well, but that Treva was unaware of that.

"Well," said the boy with a big sigh, "Arthur will knight me but I will need a mentor and, Merlin, please say yes, but…will you be my mentor?" Seeing the look on Merlin's face, he said, "Rhylin chose Gawaine and even though I really think he's fun and very brave, I would like you to be my mentor. Please, Merlin, say yes, I would try extra hard for you and you would do your best for me I know it."

Merlin's eyes caught Arthur's knowing that he had to refuse the request but in the kindest possible way. He put him arm around Treva and told him that that was the most important thing anyone had asked him. Thinking to himself, well maybe after the time Arthur had asked him to share his bed overnight.

He said carefully, "Treva, there is a special rule that states that only knights can be mentors for the squires who are to be invested. The knight vouches that this senior squire will make a good knight if the king is willingly to knight him. So you understand?"

Treva's face fell but then hope rose undiminished, "Well then…Arthur will have to invest you so that you become a knight because I really want it to be you!"

Arthur moved, yawned and stretched, pretending that he has not been following the conversation. He opened his eyes and said, "To what honour do we have a visitor in our bed, this early in the morning?"

Treva smiled, "Good morning, Arthur. I just wanted to know if Merlin would be my mentor but he says he can't as you haven't knighted him. Couldn't you knight him just for a little while so he could guide me?"

Merlin looked at Arthur with a smug look on his face as if to say, 'See how you can get out of that one, My Love!'

Arthur smiled back and then turning to Treva said, "What Merlin has said is true but I thought you might have chosen Merlin to sponsor you and representing your family, place the red cloak of Camelot around your shoulders, put your belt with the scabbard around your hips and maybe even give you your sword?" He finished the sentence with a slight inflection representing a possible question.

Treva sat up spun around and ended kneeling between the two of them. His eyes were as big as saucers, "Merlin could do all those things?" he asked Arthur.

"I don't see why not," Arthur said, "But maybe you should ask Merlin if he would like to do those important things during your investiture?"

Treva turned to Merlin and said, "Would you do those things for me that Arthur just said? Please, say yes it would make me the happiest boy in the whole world!"

Glancing at Arthur and saying a silent, 'Thank you!' Merlin turned to Treva and said, "I would be very happy to be part of your investiture and I am very honoured that you would ask me to be your sponsor."

Suddenly the importance of a knight mentor was replaced by a sponsor in Treva's mind. He bounced on the bed saying, "…and I'll ask Rhylin to be my knight mentor."

Arthur said quickly, "I think maybe you should wait until you're in your last to final year before you ask anyone. Don't you, Merlin?"

Merlin nodded, "I think Arthur is right, you never know by then you might think that there is another knight you might like to ask."

In all seriousness, Treva looked at Merlin and said, "I will keep it a secret for the time being but I don't think I'll change my mind."

…and he didn't!

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he felt that Rhylin would in twelve years be up to the task, he didn't want there being any hurt feelings among the knights many of whom would consider it a special honour to be the mentor chosen by the king's ward.

Treva settled in between them again and Merlin said, "Breakfast at the table or in bed?"

Both Arthur and Treva said as one voice, "In bed…please!"


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14 : ONE BLUE NECKERCHIEF**

The castle had finally emptied of the guests and competitors of the July Tournament. The staff had been on the go for the last month without any days off and now was the time for them to take it easy.

The next thing on the schedule would be the arrival of the Montbus delegation later in the month but everyone had a few weeks respite before their arrival.

Everyone, including Arthur and the knights were ready for a well-earned rest. The newly invested knights had been away for the month and now it was the turn for the squires and pages who did not have family in the castle to return home for a break.

Henry's parents, Sir Graham and Lady Henrietta were spending three weeks at her fathers estate in Cornwall and Henry had decided to invite Treva to go too. He knew that Rhylin and the others new knights had gone on holidays, so why not them.

Treva told Arthur that he and Henry were going to visit Sir Raldon Henry's grandfather. Arthur having been alerted to the plan by Randall, explained to Treva that you just didn't invite yourself to someone's estate.

"But I was invited, honestly, Arthur, Henry invited me."

Treva's face fell when Arthur said that it was not in Henry's position to invite him. The invitation had to come from the owner of the manor house were they would be staying. Treva was heartbroken and he told an equally heartbroken Henry that he wouldn't be able to go with him because his grandfather had not spoken to Arthur about inviting him for a visit.

Sir Graham hearing about it from Lady Henrietta had suggested that as one extra boy was no trouble in such a large house that he should speak to Arthur and see if permission could be granted for Treva to accompany them.

It was a beaming Treva who departed with the family for Cornwall. Randall as Treva's manservant went as well, accompanied by two guards and Sir Robin of Northanger.

Lady Henrietta and her young daughters along with her maid servant and nursemaid would travel in a coach but the boys would ride until they got tired. Two grooms accompanied the party to take care of the horses. All told, the group consisted of close to twenty people including four children.

The boys were very excited and Merlin had cautioned Treva to obey his elders and not to do anything stupid. If there was even one complaint about him, it would mean that never again would he be allowed to go away. Arthur had raised his eyebrows at that but it seemed to have accomplished something as Treva promised to be extra good for Henry's parents.

Lady Henrietta had smiled and touched Merlin's arm, "We'll keep an eye on him and I would expect that after riding all day, the only thing he will want to do when we reach each stopover will be to sleep. If it's raining, they will travel in the carriage with us. Sir Robin will be following the two of them like a hawk and we also have Randall and my husband's Hubert, so we will be able to cope."

Sir Graham arrived on the steps and said, "All ready to go, Boys? Let's leave as the sooner we do the sooner we'll see the sea."

Treva clung to Merlin and promised to bring him back a seashell and some seaweed for Gaius. Merlin said, "Have a lovely time!" and turning to Sir Graham said, "Thank you for agreeing to take him, he has his heart set on having a proper holiday with his best friend and by the way, have a lobster on me!"

Graham laughed, "It's the only reason I'm going, that and to fill my lungs with the sea air." He looked apologetically at his wife before adding, "…and to accompany my Fair Wife on a long promised visit to her parents."

The group rode ahead of the coach towards the portcullis and Treva turned to wave at the men he now considered his parents.

Arthur gave Merlin the look that parents might give each other as the kids left for camp. Not that Treva was a nuisance but the idea of freedom was tantalising. One quarterly council meeting, no formal dinners, life was going to be perfect, well as perfect as life could ever be when you are a king.

Merlin grinned he had something up his sleeve which he felt would appeal to Arthur. It would be hopefully a pleasant surprise.

-0-0-

Camelot settled quietly into mid summer. The workers on the castle farmlands watched the wheat and oats grow while they harvested summer berries. The animals looked in great form. Warm sunny days were followed by cooler nights.

The pages and squires who remained in the castle were free to amuse themselves and every so often, parents would organise a picnic or a trip on horseback to a swimming area.

The only hive of activity was the kitchens where meals were still prepared, in the laundries clothes were still washed and during this down time repairs were made by tailors and seamstresses. All the knight's armour was carefully checked and either repaired or replaced.

It was the dog days of summer and there was not a cloud on high. It were as if Camelot lay under the protection of a friendly spirit who saw that the days were beautiful and if rain was needed it only fell between sunset and sunrise.

Gaius was enjoying the time as the lack of illness in the castle allowed him to concentrate on experimenting with formulas. He still had a few patients but on the whole it was peaceful. Unless there were emergencies, the knights would be with their families and he smiled to himself as he realised that by early spring he would be on call delivering a crop of new arrivals. It worked well as the babies had a head start before facing the gruelling winter months.

-0-0-

Arthur loved the idea of lying abed every morning. For the first week, he took full advantage of it but then too much of a good thing became second hand and he followed Merlin's example by rising early. He would ride out with a few of his friends enjoying the early morning weather and the company. They would sometimes do surprise visits to villages giving pleasure and satisfaction to the village councils that their king was still interested in their wellbeing.

Merlin was working with Gaius when Arthur had no need of him. He had a surprise up his sleeve and was sometimes seen midday, wandering along the royal corridor seemingly on his way to Arthur's chamber which in fact that was not his destination.

-0-0-

Years ago when Arthur had been crown prince and unable to get far away from his father, Merlin had been exploring and in following a cat, he had found a dead end corridor near Arthur's old chambers. He had come upon a curtained recess with a door. Deciding that it would probably be a chamber, he was pleasantly surprised to be confronted by a spiral stone staircase which he had carefully climbed.

The room at the top of the stairs was circular. He had gone outside into a small courtyard and realised that he had been in one of the turrets that decorated the castle. From the wall, he could overlook the village and the little lake with the ducks.

He had decided then and there to claim this room as a private sanctuary for Arthur and himself. The courtyard was overgrown but in no time he had it under control. He found out that the fireplace in the room worked. Logs were the next thing he brought up. He also made sure that the door now had a sturdy lock. The furniture was basic but the mattress surprisingly in good form. He secreted away linens and covers and soon had a little hideaway.

He smiled to himself remembering the look on Arthur's face when he had first visited the chamber. He was thrilled to be somewhere that Merlin and he alone knew existed. They then began to check on chambers which were seldom used and managed to rescue odds and ends of furniture.

It had been a long time since Arthur and he had spent any time there and he opened the window and aired the place out then kept the fire going to remove any damp. On hot days, the bedding was laid on the grass in the little courtyard and soon, he was ready to kidnap Arthur and whisk him away.

He remembered years ago when he and Arthur had been able to go away on holidays but since becoming king any holidays were more like busman's holidays. A few days here or there after royal visits to settle disputes with allies or neighbours.

Merlin felt that Arthur deserved a proper holiday not unlike the one they had taken years ago to Cornwall. They had made their official visit and then sending the knights home ahead of them, travelled the area under the guise of visiting merchants. Merlin still remembered the time spent at the remote Tintagel, a bare rocky headland with much promise and the feeling it invoked in each of them. It had brought back to him forcibly his destiny and the importance of Arthur's life.

It had been a wondrous time, full of sights and smells which he was never to forget. It was there that he first tasted the delicacy lobster and remembered dragging armfuls of seaweed out of the sea, sad that he could only take a small amount back to Gaius.

If Arthur now asked him to again go on a holiday, he would have voted for the seaside. But that wasn't likely to happen so he intended to have a holiday within the castle. If they spent each night in the turret it would be different and he was sure good for them. It would rekindle memories of their earlier years and the more difficult times in their relationship.

He smiled, how they had managed to live without Uther ever learning the truth was staggering. They had been in such control of their feelings and everything was carefully planned. Gaius and a few trusted friends had known; however, if Uther's dislike of Merlin had reflected any suspicion, his distrust of him had been the only result.

Merlin knew that if they had ever been suspected or found out, he would have been killed and Arthur made to witness his death before being flogged and thrown in the dungeons for a period of time. It had been stressful being continually on guard and their turret room had been a godsend.

-0-0-

He stood looking over the parapet. Memories flooded his mind of Gaius's one and only visit.

Arthur and he had been excited having a visitor whom they both agreed would be the only person besides them to cross the threshold. He smiled to himself remembering the day he had invited Gaius to see their hideaway.

Because Uther had for some reason disliked walking past the dead end corridor, the Lord Chamberlain had ordered that an arras, a heavy curtain consisting of a tapestry block the space.

Gaius had been surprised when Arthur had held back the tapestry inviting him to follow him into the hidden corridor. However, by the looks on the faces of the two young men, he had realised that this was the secret which had kept Merlin so excited for the last couple of weeks. The second curtain, the door with the rusty lock explained it all.

The stairs were steep and would have been treacherous in bad weather as the arrow slits were open to the rain, sleet or snow. Merlin seeing his frown had assured him that they would only be using the stairs during good weather.

The stairs stopped on a small landing. Gaius had paused to catch his breath after the steep climb, in front of him was a solid door. Merlin had stretched over and pushed it open. There was a space with a wardrobe and clothes hooks, then the main room which contained a bed, table, two chairs, a fireplace and surprisingly quite a large lead light window.

Gaius had been drawn to it as beyond it he had seen the small courtyard and the pots of spring flowers which Merlin had lined up along the wall. Arthur was happy having someone else's thoughts on their hideaway, especially as Gaius had said the right thing confessing that he would happily retire there.

"It wasn't until you opened the door downstairs that I remembered that a retired knight used to live here. His manservant looked after his needs and delivering all his meals, that was years ago," he said. Then muttered to himself, "Orvid! That was it, Sir Orvid of Muld."

Merlin came back to the present, that was years ago. Right now, but he was more interested in seeing Arthur's face and hearing his comments upon his arrival, when he too would be hit by memories.

Putting out a few plants and tidying up the twigs and debris from years of winter storms, Merlin wished that he'd had come up earlier in the year as he could have done something about the weeds. He smiled, remembering his mother telling him that weeds are no more than flowers in disguise. At least, they were colourful.

He'd worked hard. He had replaced all the bedding, many times waylaying a maid servant and asking for some of the linens she was carrying, explaining that he was in a hurry and needed to get back to the king's chambers. Few people denied Merlin his requests as he was respectful of the staff and his friendly smile made them feel comfortable with him.

He'd given the chamber a thorough cleaning and on nights which promised to be clear, he had even left the windows wide open hoping that no crow or pigeon might decide to spend the night there. During the day, he kept a fire going and soon the place was well aired and fit for a king. He laughed to himself, remembering some of the hovels he had slept in with Arthur while they were on sorties.

Merlin knew that for Arthur as long as he was beside him, the surroundings mattered little. He would complain for the benefit of his knights but once they were settled down and alone, their surroundings became secondary.

Gawaine saw through the whole ruse and would raise his eyebrows and if no one else was within hearing, say, "You're kidding no one, especially not me! As long as Merlin is sharing your sleeping roll, you're in heaven!"

"I'll have you know," Arthur replied, "That I appreciate the niceties of life, a well appointed chamber, clean bedding which facilitates a good night's sleep…"

Merlin had laughed when Gawaine had replied "…and a handsome, warmblooded, willing body lying beside you in said bed."

Arthur said, "My good man, you do not have to sleep alone, there are I am sure many knights who'd be willing to cuddle with you."

"That's not going to happen as the one person I have my eyes on is already spoken for!"

Arthur laughed out loud and slipping his arm around Merlin's waist said, "Well, at least, we agree on that. Good night, Gawaine, hope you sleep soundly…"

Memories were funny, they could bring so much pleasure but also anguish if their origins were sad. He smiled to himself Gawaine was a good friend whom he and Arthur trusted with their lives.

From the storeroom, he'd brought up stone flasks of cider, wine and mead. This was going to be a celebration. The food he would bring up once it was delivered to the royal chambers. He'd mentioned to Thomas that he had a craving for rabbit stew once the council meetings for the quarter were finished. He also mentioned that the king and he would be keeping to themselves for a couple of days. All they would need was the delivery of meals to the antechamber.

Merlin's next job was to get Arthur to the turret room without actually spelling it out.

He decided to leave cryptic messages. The fun was deciding what he should say. He decided that the final one would be the key to the stone staircase. The ideas were never ending as long as the result was Arthur coming to find him. He smiled to himself this could be fun.

The neckerchief would lead him into their old chamber and he planned to put a vase of flowers on the table with the key. Shame it wasn't spring as he would have used primroses, which stand for young love but now that they were both mature other flowers would suffice. He knew that there had been wild purple asters growing in their little courtyard so he decided to use them if he was unable to find a red rose still blooming in the castle gardens. He knew Arthur would say that it was girlie but he appreciated beautiful flowers and it pleased him to use them to express his feelings.

-0-0-

Arthur had questioned that Merlin hadn't been in attendance at the council meetings but he had explained that he had promised to help Gaius rearrange his supplies and also he needed to go out with him on the hunt for specific herbs and plants.

Accepting that explanation, Arthur had gone off to the remaining meetings taking Thomas with him. Merlin found many times that the meetings were too repetitive for his liking. There was no need for ten council members to repeat the same thing but the men wanted to and Arthur who had been attending these meetings even when Uther had been alive, sat patiently, complaining later to Merlin making him laugh as he had down pat many of the whining voices and idiosyncrasies of the speakers.

He certainly wasn't as patient when it came to meetings with the knights and they didn't drag on for ages as Arthur had little time for people who were unable to say what they wanted in concise sentences. The knights had soon figured that out and in meetings were to the point thereby leaving more time for conversations during the meal which followed. His men trusted and liked him and felt that he had their best interests at heart.

Merlin reflected, that Arthur was not abrupt and rude to people when he met them as many a villager could attest to how kind the king had been listening to their problems, yet in certain circumstances he was the consummate executive.

-0-0-

Arthur's eyes had opened wide when he had seen one afternoon a swatch of material thrown haphazardly across the bed. "Merlin, did Thomas leave this here?" he'd asked.

Merlin had said innocently, "Looks like a piece of tapestry…I'll ask him about it when he comes back."

The next clue was a note which Arthur had sent to Merlin year's ago apologising for his less than thoughtful behaviour. At this point in time, Merlin couldn't remember exactly what the transgression had been but hoped it would serve its purpose.

"Merlin, wherever did this come from, I can't believe that you would have kept it. 'You've left me like a sparrow sitting alone on a parapet. Please, Merlin, forgive me!' Did I really write that? It sounds soppy!"

"Well, if I rightly remember, we were young and very much in love. It did the trick as we're still together." He took the note off Arthur and smiled as he turned away.

Later that day another scrap of paper surfaced but on it there only a sketch of an old ornate oak table with a pot of yellow flowers on it. Merlin said, "Arthur, have you gone into the carpentry trade, what is this?" He held his breath waiting for Arthur to recognise the table they had huffed and puffed over as they had manipulated it up the stairs to reassemble in the turret room.

"Damned if I know. Handsome looking table though…seems familiar but I just can't place it."

Merlin was beginning to despair tomorrow night there would be rabbit stew, the same meal as he had cooked over the little fire on their first night in the tower. Not intending to give up and spoil the surprise, Merlin persevered.

They were walking along a corridor and Merlin said in passing a tapestry, "They certainly cut the drafts, I wonder if any secrets lurk behind them?"

Arthur said, "I remember as a child hiding with Edmund behind a tapestry in his parent's bedchamber but it was dusty and Edmund started to sneeze and we were discovered. We weren't in Sir Bevan's good books for the rest of the week."

Merlin waited for Arthur to make a reference to their dead end corridor behind another tapestry but he didn't. How could he be so dense! He was sure that his clues had been clear. He would have to turn up the heat.

"I've never hidden behind a tapestry," Merlin stated.

"Yes, you have, remember how we used to sneak behind window curtains and tapestries to have little moments to ourselves?"

'Getting closer,' Merlin thought but added, "That was so long ago, we should do it again just for the hell of it. Can you imagine the surprise Leon would get if we hid in his room."

"For entertainment's sake, I would rather hide in Gawaine's!" said Arthur with a knowing grin.

The following morning, Merlin was searching high and low for something. "For heaven's sake, Merlin, what have you lost?"

"My blue neckerchief…"

"Can't you do without it for a day, I rather like being able to see your naked neck and leer at you while we are with the others."

"Well, if you find it, it would be appreciated."

Arthur tutted and walked ahead of Merlin; they were going to watch a demonstration by the young squires and Arthur had no time to search for anything as inconsequential as a garment.

Merlin found time during the day to tie the neckerchief on their old chamber's door. He hoped that Arthur would notice it and think enough to bring it to him. The material was closed within the door frame and Arthur would have to open the door. He had placed the little table with the key and flowers in plain sight of the opened door.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15 : KNOWN TO THEM ALONE**

Arthur lay in bed wondering what was worrying Merlin? He had tossed and turned all night. It wasn't a bad nightmare as there was no sign of panic, it was more like frustration. He was muttering to himself but not clearly enough for Arthur to pick out little more than disjointed words.

He had been a little distracted this week, spending more time in meetings, planning discussions and the like. Maybe Merlin was feeling left out but usually that was no problem as once supper was over, they had the place to themselves and settled in for a quiet evening together.

Arthur felt guilty as many times he'd turned in early, leaving Merlin alone reading. Sometimes, he only woke briefly as Merlin got into bed beside him and the most romantic they got was when they gave each other a goodnight kiss.

Thinking about recent happenings in the bedchamber, Arthur remembered the strange things which had recently appeared in their chambers, the piece of tapestry, the old love letter, Merlin's worrying about his blue neckerchief. He decided right then and there, he would have the seamstress run up a dozen in various colours to accentuate his blue eyes.

Merlin had settled again and Arthur pulled him to himself, kissing him gently and just holding him in his arms as he cuddled against his chest.

The next think he knew it was morning. He had scheduled meetings until noon but then he was free. He got up leaving Merlin asleep. He let himself out of their bedchamber and walked down the hallway to the antechamber unlocking the connecting door. Thomas had already put their breakfasts on the large sideboard. He picked up the two platters and padded back to the dining room not wanting to disturb Merlin.

He dressed by himself and checking that Merlin was all right. He was lying facing away from the window breathing steadily. Arthur smiled and leant forward not wanted to disturb him and kissed the top of his head. His hair smelled of the lemon thyme which Gaius grew.

He left the chambers and walked back along the corridor. He was halfway past the dead end corridor when he thought about the tapestry swatch. Something caught his eye, it was Merlin's blue neckerchief. Someone must have found it and tied it to the door.

He recognised the door as belonging to their old chamber, he smiled remembering the nights of love and surprises. He went to pull it off the latch but it was caught in the door. He opened the door to release it and noticed the table with the flower pot of purple asters. He walked forward and saw the old key and his breath quickened. This was no haphazard finding of the neckerchief, this was Merlin.

It all made sense.

He pocketed the neckerchief and taking the key and the flowers, walked to the edge of the tapestry, he checked both ways and slipped behind it.

No boy had ever had such a wondrous hideaway. Arthur felt as if he were playing truant as if he were leaving the confines of the very castle as he mounted the stairs. In no time, he was pushing open the door…

The room smelled fresh with a suspicion of woodsmoke. Arthur noticed the supply of fresh fruit and drink, some wedges of cheese. He opened the door onto the courtyard and breathed in the fresh air. His mind was taken back to the days of stealing a couple of hours together away from the prying eyes of the castle. He smiled when he saw the asters growing against the wall and a couple of obviously new pots of flowers.

There was no question as to who had been there. He made a decision on the spur of the moment. He would forgo his plans for the day so that he could surprise the love of his life when he finally returned to this chamber which was so full of wondrous memories.

He went back downstairs and entering his present chambers, found in the antechamber rough pieces of paper on which Thomas sometimes left messages. He wrote a note to Thomas telling him that Merlin was still abed and not to do the bedchamber until he had woken up. He propped it against a vase on the sideboard.

He then wrote a message for Leon that he would not be attending the meeting and he should chair it in his absence and added a few pointers for him. He left the chambers quietly to give the message to one of the guard at the top of the stairs, telling him to deliver it personally to Sir Leon immediately. The guard took it, bowed and said, "Your Majesty!" and left to find a squire to send a message that the king had asked him to leave his post to deliver something to Sir Leon and that another guard was needed to replace him on duty immediately. The squire went off to find the person in charge of that day's rotation.

-0-0-

Merlin stretched languidly not unlike a cat. He had slept well and was ready to start a new day. He remembered having trouble falling asleep but that must have been temporary as he felt well rested. Today, he intended to kidnap Arthur and spirit him away to the turret room.

He listened figuring that Arthur must have been getting washed, not that he would ever think of getting dressed by himself as he liked the company and was quite happy to have him choose his clothes.

Figuring he should lie abed no longer, he swung his feet onto the floor and went to open the curtains. He was shocked as the courtyard was bathed in full sunlight. The usual shadows were gone and he realised it was much later than he had thought. He made his way to the water closet and was finally ready to get dressed. However, he first decided to track down Arthur. He put on his dressing robe and tying the belt around his waist walked out of the bedchamber, not the greatest idea to bump into visitors or even Thomas in the buff.

Something in the dining room caught his eye as he passed, so he backtracked to realise it was breakfast platters. The food on one had obviously been eaten as a crumpled napkin and a dirty knife was beside the plate. Saying, "Arthur?" and getting no response he walked through into the antechamber. The first thing he noticed was a note on the sideboard

It was for Thomas but not folded over so Merlin read it and presumed that Arthur had gone off to one of those interminable meetings.

-0-0-

Meanwhile, Arthur with a book in hand was once again climbing the stairs to the turret room. He had revisited the dining room and taken bread which he put next to the ale and fruit. He sat on the bed and bounced on it, seemed to be the same mattress but the sheets were certainly freshly laundered. He looked around there were so many little things which he remembered.

He laughed; here he was waiting for Merlin but can you imagine if the room was now being used by another pair of lovers. He laughed, no way, Merlin's neckerchief and the flowers said it all.

Arthur remembered that certain flowers stood for special emotions. He remembered that primroses were Merlin's favourite as they meant 'I can't Live Without you'. Such a big meaning for such a little flower. Merlin would often point them out in the ditches and hedgerows in the spring and just grin at him in his adorable way.

Shame it wasn't spring as he would have covered the bed with them. He smiled seeing in his mind, the king out picking primroses that would have puzzled many people. Asters had been a good seasonal substitute.

He smiled as at Christmas Merlin was always determined to have mistletoe for their chambers so much so that the children would arrive at the portcullis with armfuls of it and the guards knew that it was for Merlin who would have given them coppers to give to the children.

Once their chambers were decorated then the rest of the castle was adorned and many a young maid received her first kiss because of Merlin's mistletoe.

Arthur kept Merlin's neckerchief in his pocket, if he wanted it back he was going to have to search him for it. He felt so happy that his heart seemed huge in his chest.

He finally went out into the courtyard and sat on the old bench, one of the few original pieces of furniture which they had kept. He shook his head thinking of how the two of them had dismantled all other pieces, well Merlin had done the dismantling and he had helped. The two of them had then smuggled them downstairs into one of the empty chambers.

He'd almost done irreparable damage to himself trying to get a wardrobe down to the corridor behind the tapestry. It was still there against the wall. He laughed out loud, he could hear Merlin saying, 'If I can lift the end of it, you, Oh Mighty One, should be able to do the same!'

The memories were driving him crazy, he wanted Merlin with him now. It was a lovely sunny day; the tiny protected courtyard was a perfect suntrap.

Arthur dragged out a blanket and lay it on the grass. He sat on it removing his boots, belt and doublet. Loosening the laces on the neck of his tunic, he lay back with his arm over his eyes letting his ears do the work.

He heard the distant tramping of boots, probably guards by the regular cadence. He could make out horses and creaky wagons passing far below. He heard the strident wailing of a child, a barking dog and a women possibly calling for her children. He was conscious of a crow whose cawing was answered probably from another turret. He heard the twittering sparrows... He hadn't had a very peaceful night and he fell asleep.

-0-0-

Merlin finally dressed, left their chambers. He walked down the main corridor in the direction of the throne room to see how the meeting was progressing. Hopefully, it would soon be adjourned.

He nodded at the two guards at the end of the corridor and jogged down the stairs. He'd been quite hungry and had eaten his breakfast while getting dressed. He nodded at the guards stationed outside the throne room and let himself in.

Arthur wasn't at the head of the table, his chair was empty. He saw Gaius sitting near the wall and walked over to him, no one paid him any notice. He crouched down beside his chair.

Gaius said, "Is Arthur under the weather?"

"Not that I know. I slept in and he was already gone. Has he not been here?"

"No, Leon has been running the meeting and I have to say, doing a good job of it too. Arthur should use him more often, he's quite capable and it would give him a break. What were his plans for the day?"

"I expected to find him here? He never mentioned anything else."

Gaius looked at him carefully before saying, "...and I presume, Merlin, you two are still on speaking terms?"

Merlin grinned, "Gaius, stop worrying. We're doing fine."

"Well, I know that he has been very busy and you seem to have been distracted recently." He lowered his voice and said, "All relationships have to be worked at. Remember put as much effort into loving someone as you do into living... Don't forget that!"

Merlin smiled, "If I had my druthers, I'd take him away from here and keep him safe and sound in a secret place."

"Does it happen to have a round chamber and a courtyard by any chance?"

"Gaius!" Merlin's jaw dropped. "How could you possible have guessed that?"

"I was coming back to the castle and I saw a wisp of smoke from one specific chimney. Go and find him, the two of you need some time alone where no one can contact either of you!"

Merlin smiled, "Gaius, you might be getting on but you've got the heart of a youngster in love and the mind of a father who cares for his son." He stood up, gave the smiling man's shoulder a squeeze and quietly left the throne room.

-0-0-

He made his way downstairs and cajoled the cook Bertha with a smile and a wink, into giving him some food for a picnic. She laughed at him saying, "Get away with you, Merlin, I'm old enough to be your mother!" Before adding, "Pork pies, cheese and a honey cake?"

Merlin's eyes lit up as he nodded, "That would be excellent." Honey cake was made with fermented honey which as honey wine was one of the ingredients of mead. He's have to keep an eye on it as it was one of Arthur's favourites and he would likely eat it in one sitting.

She had that morning, baked fifty honey cakes, a favourite sweet for the ladies of the castle with the knights enjoying them as well. As a child the young crown prince always looked longingly at them if he wandered into the kitchen with one of his nursemaids and she would always break off a crust and put it in his outstretched hand. His manners had always been impeccable as he would say, "Thank you, Bertha." She smiled that he learnt from Gaius certainly not his father the king who had always ignored all the kitchen staff.

Wrapping the whole cake in a linen square she said, "Looks to me as if you could put on some weight, keep this in a cool dark place and it will last for weeks." She motioned for one of the scullery girls to get four pork pies and packed them with some cooked apple slices. To this she added a loaf of bread, a double wedge of strong cheese and some strawberry preserves in a little clay pot. "Have a nice picnic and I want the jam pot back!" she said finally shooing Merlin out of her busy kitchen.

He thanked her smiling as picnicking was not a priority in his life at the moment. He picked up the sack of food and made his way up the backstairs to the royal floor.

Wherever Arthur was, he was doing a good job of hiding from Merlin. He searched their chambers again and bumped into Thomas who hadn't seen him. He wandered through the castle and even went to the stables and the mews, lots of hawks and falcons but no Arthur.

He checked with Leon who said that he had never seen him just received a note about the meeting.

Gawaine who was in the portico chatting with the mother of one of the squires, hadn't seen him either, "Good thing too," he said, "As I would be in trouble for standing around chatting, as Arthur would say that there must be millions of knight-like things that I could be doing." He smiled pleasantly and bowed to Lady Wentworth and turned deciding to join Merlin in his search.

However, they were interrupted by Spenser and Simon who were wandering down to the pub and Gawaine looked longingly after them as they passed and Merlin told him to catch them up as Arthur couldn't have disappeared into thin air and that he'd find him himself.

He crossed the courtyard and wandered up the main stairs. It wasn't until he reached their chamber door that he realised he hadn't seen his neckerchief on their old door. Maybe Arthur had found it. He walked into the chamber checking the sideboard, Arthur's desk and even the bed. No neckerchief! He walked back along the corridor figuring that possibly a maidservant or even Thomas had seen it and taken it to the laundry. When he reached the door, he opened it and saw an empty table. Not only had the key gone but also the little vase of asters.

Arthur had been there!

He closed the door and went back to their current chambers and got a large pitcher of water and the sack of food. Although he had eaten late, he was getting hungry with all this wandering around and decided if he had to wait until Arthur came up to their little room, he might as well have some food within him.

He had oiled both the hinges and the lock on the door at the bottom of the staircase and it slid open quietly. If someone had been walking by and heard a door creaking open in what was a dead end corridor they might have checked and then their secret would be no more.

He came to the landing and put the pitcher down to open the chamber door. He walked in and put the pitcher on a shelf and the food in a little cabinet in the corner. He then turned around deciding to lay a fire. It was then he noticed the key and the asters on the table. He smiled, Arthur had been there. He'd wait until he returned.

He absentmindedly straightened the covers on the bed and went to open the windows as it was a lovely day. His eye was caught by a figure spread eagle on the grass and his heart leapt. Here he had been chasing after Arthur and the whole time he had been waiting for him…

-0-0-

He slipped off his jacket and boots and carefully opened the door to the courtyard making as little noise as possible. His feet on the grass made no sound and he stood looking down. Arthur's arm had slipped from across his eyes and was on the grass. His feet were turned out like a duck's. Merlin smiled, they looked so innocent and fragile. He was tempted to tickle them but that would waken this marvellous creature and he was not yet ready for that.

Just as one elbow was bent up towards his ear, the other rested on the grass with his hand on his hip. One leg was straight but the other was slightly bent, the knee in the air. The comforter was ruched slightly where Arthur had pulled up his knee.

Merlin's mind was racing with wondrous things he might do to his king but then he stopped and looked at him. He was asleep with the innocence of a baby. True it might be worthwhile waking him but he had him here all to himself and he decided to control his first impulses and let him sleep. He smiled to himself; he wasn't being overly generous as he knew that a less tired Arthur might make the night more than pleasurable.

With his back against the leg of the bench, he sat beside him, legs outstretched. His eyes never left Arthur and he went over in his mind all the things he could tell him and which he never would. Arthur knew that he loved him but did he really understand the depth of this love. He couldn't belief that this intense feeling had ever been experienced by anyone else. Sometimes he wondered how he managed to exist in those hours when Arthur was not present? Not that he couldn't exist alone, he knew and had proved that he could. However, for a few fleeting moments he had troubled feelings that one day he would… He felt an abrupt separation and years of want and need. A dreadful heaviness swept over him and for a minute he witnessed a life alone, standing in a world he did not recognise, surrounded by strangers, no one acknowledging his crushing pain of separation.

Did Arthur feel the same or were the responsibilities of running Camelot keeping his mind focused on the present? He closed his eyes and made his mind empty itself of all worries,

Arthur was beside him and for the immediate future he would be his alone.

He must have dozed off as when he opened his eyes, the sun had dropped behind the turret and it was getting cool. He looked immediately for Arthur hoping that his presence in the courtyard had not been a cruel dream.

Arthur was looking at him. He had rolled on his side and propped his head up on his elbow, he was smiling as only Arthur Pendragon could. A smile of complete trust, it went directly to Merlin who felt it racing through his body. He looked down and said with a heartfelt sigh, "Arthur…!"

His love replied, "Always, Merlin, from the beginning to the end and then…forever after."


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16 : AS THE HEAVEN IS HIGH**

Arthur stood holding out his hand, hauling Merlin to his feet from his position against the bench. "I'm sure that you are getting heavier. It doesn't really show but look at you, not the sad slender waif you were when you first came here."

"Arthur, I only arrived an hour and a half ago, I couldn't have bulked up that much!"

Laughing Arthur said, "You know what I mean. Gosh seeing you, used to make my heart grow bigger, I swear it. I really didn't understand what was happening. My heart beat would resound in my ears and my head would feel muffled and all I really wanted to do was to smile at you like an idiot."

He pulled Merlin over the threshold into the chamber before continuing, "In my mind, I knew that if only I could touch you everything would be right. The way your hair would fall over your eyes when you approached me, used to do strange things to my fingers, I had to physically stop them from stretching out to brush your fringe back. I can confess the only time when I didn't think of you was in the heat of training. Afterwards, I became jealous as I didn't want you smiling at or congratulating any knight who might have put me on my backside."

"Would that by any chance be one knight in particular?" Merlin asked playfully.

Arthur didn't raise to the bait but continued, "I used to forbid thoughts of you to enter my mind when I was talking to my father as I was scared that the grin on my face would give him ideas that I was either mentally incapable of having a serious conversation or engrossed in something or someone and was keeping it from him."

Merlin set out two pewter mugs of ale on the table adding some cheese and fruit before saying, "Drink up, I don't think you had any lunch and my plans for this evening do not include your fainting from hunger, thereby being unable to master certain intricate non-military manoeuvres to which I have become accustomed."

Arthur grinned, "Non-military manoeuvres? You, Merlin, are certainly the height of discretion and would have coped capably within court life. Your choice of words would not even have shocked the fair ladies…confused them maybe, but not shocked them!"

He looked at him; Merlin had never been shy. He was confident and had known exactly what… or should he say who he wanted. His father would have said with disgust, 'A cocky upstart, acting above his state in life!' He thanked his lucky stars he was, as if it had been left up to him, he might have been still sitting alone watching him with sad puppy eyes and pouring out his heart to an obviously bored Gaius.

"Well, more genteel than what one of your knights said to one of the ladies of the court. He was direct and to the point and I had at first expected her to crumple in a shock on the floor but she had been resoundingly strong and had told him in terms usually not voiced by a lady in public, where to go!"

"Who was it and what did she say?"

Merlin lifted his mug to his lips and quietly told Arthur not only the lady's name but also her exact words. Arthur banged his mug down on the table sloshing the contents and sending a little wavelet onto the table. "My God, I would have enjoyed seeing that display. She always is so correct but with Sirs Kerrick and Henders as brothers I guess she has heard her fair share of choice words. So how did Gawaine take it?"

"He laughed and bowed, kissed her hand and the two of them parted as friends. Wait! How did you know it was Gawaine?"

"He's the only rogue who could say that and get away with it. I think it's his laughing eyes, his continual flirting and the way he throws his hair back off his forehead."

"You've noticed. Arthur? Don't tell me you are also affected by it, I'll have to keep a closer watch on the two of you."

"Merlin, as long as you and I are in the land of the living, there will never be anyone but you. Now, make yourself useful and pass me some cheese."

A shiver had gone up Merlin's back at Arthur's words but he had placed the cheese in front of him and walked behind him, he looped his arms over his shoulders and let his fingers slip between the loosened laces of his tunic. He kissed the nape of his neck saying, "I'm relieved and happy that you feel that way, as seeing you with someone else would for me be hell on earth."

Arthur turned and pulled him into his lap and let his lips gently caress Merlin's ear before playfully giving it a little nip which elicited a moan. They finished their lunch with Merlin sharing the food on Arthur's plate.

-0-0-

Later that evening, Merlin glanced down at Arthur, he smiled remembered those first moments of sexual passion years ago. They had been unable to keep their hands off each other and were often given disapproving and worried glances by Gaius as he watched them temping the wrath of Uther with sly glances and physical touches which were one day going to be their downfall or so he told them after one questionable exchange at a dinner in the grand hall with the king.

Smiling, Merlin remembered casually running his hand along Arthur's thigh as he squeezed between Arthur and one of the other guests to refill wine goblets. He heard Arthur's quick intake of breath and that for the rest of the meal became his challenge to see how often under the eyes of Arthur's father, three seats over, he could make Arthur react to his ministrations.

The final triumph had been when Arthur's hand towel had surprisingly fallen to the floor and Merlin keeping an eye on the tapestries across the room had knelt beside Arthur to retrieve it and in a sleight of hand, worthy of any magician, been able to return it not only to its place on the table but had Arthur practically squirming in anticipation.

Merlin often wondered if the guest seated beside Arthur had noticed anything, maybe he hadn't but Gaius had and had summarily read them the riot act the following morning.

"What did you think you were doing, the two of you? Flaunting yourselves for all and sundry! Just one whisper of your suspicious behaviour to the king and you Merlin would be in deep trouble…and I would have been unable to help you.

"You, Arthur would have been punished, probably not for privately taking a servant to bed in a time of need but certainly for acting in an uncomplimentary manner for a crown prince during an important meal. There are rules to be followed and whereas what you do in your own chambers should be immaterial for the king, we know that in this case, it wouldn't be. If he ever saw any suspicion of that behaviour in public he would have a stroke."

Arthur had grinned but Gaius wasn't going to let him get away that easily. "How soon, you forget the deaths of Sirs Aidan and Robert?"

Arthur's face fell; he had been young, maybe twelve when two knights were burned together on a pyre for behaviour which Arthur had at the time not really understood but which Uther had referred to as 'an abomination, a transgression of nature'. It had frightened him giving him nightmares for months after.

A subdued Arthur had said, "Gaius, I'm sorry, we weren't thinking…"

With a, "…then mind you do! Now, get out of my sight, I have things to do!" Gaius dismissed them.

Later that night, Merlin had asked Arthur why it had happened. Arthur had quietly explained that Aidan and Robert had been in love and had been caught and their behaviour had been reported to Uther by one of the senior knight and they had subsequently been thrown in the dungeons.

Merlin had remembered that Arthur had looked upset as if even recounting it would hurt. Quietly,he had said, "If you prefer not to talk about it, I understand."

"No, at the moment it no longer causes as much regret for them as hate for my father." He sat up against the headboard and pulled Merlin beside him.

Merlin could feel that he was tense as if in retelling the story, it would again cause pain to not only him but those involved. He said, "Arthur, I can guess what happened."

"No, I want you to know the depth of my father's hatred and his vindictiveness. Aidan was a well respected knight, popular and trusted by his brother knights. Robert was a younger knight, actually the son of one of Uther's so-called friends. I learned later that there had been no trial as someone had walked in on them. No mercy offered, nothing… Robert's parents, especially his father, Sir Rufus had begged for clemency offering to leave the castle taking his beloved son with them but Uther was determined to make a spectacle of the knights.

"I knew nothing about all this. I was summoned to stand on the balcony as my father had said, 'To learn a lesson about despicable behaviour.' I had honestly thought that he was referring to the pyre and the actual burning but I was surprised when two handcuffed knights dressed in their red cloaks were led out. I felt my father had stiffened when he had seen the cloaks and muttered under his breath. I remember wondering why they were being half dragged and then I realised they couldn't walk as they'd been tortured. Sir Aidan was in worse condition and Sir Robert's shoulders were obviously dislocated.

"The guards had manhandled them up the steps to the pyre and then raised their handcuffed arms to tie them above their heads to the pole so that they faced each other. Sir Robert had fainted as he is arms were secured and my father told the fire lighter to wait until he regained consciousness before lowering the taper to the oil soaked kindling.

"Aidan looked straight ahead and I felt that that further infuriated my father. Robert came to and Aidan looked right at him and smiled and then there was a whoosh and the flames rose.

Their red cloaks caught fire and I closed my eyes.

"Usually, the pyre was surrounded by villagers many of whom I believe, were paid to jeer and make catcalls at the victims as they climbed up the steps. However this time, their brother knights had walked in and had stood in a semicircle around the pyre separating Aidan and Robert from the villagers. They stood in silence their red cloaks fluttering in the breeze. I realise now they were saying goodbye as they stood with their hands on the hilts of their swords, heads held high and eyes on the pair. The villagers took their cue from them and remained silent.

"In no way, did they acknowledge my father the king standing on the balcony. This seemed to annoy my father as he had muttered, "Insubordinate fools, I'll find out who was behind this defiant display."

Merlin said quietly, "…and did he?"

"No, I don't think anything was done but someone must have smuggled their cloaks into them and dressed them before they left the dungeons bribing the guards to leave them on. They died bravely as knights of Camelot.

"I would have died bravely with you, Merlin, you know that don't you?"

"But I would never have let you die like that I would have changed you into a merlin and we would both have flown far away from the pyre to safety."

Arthur had smiled, "Merlin, you say the silliest things...nice thought though!"

Coming back to the present, Merlin once again looked down at Arthur and marvelled that that had been together so long and so much in love. He said quietly, "I would have…!" and leant over and kissed Arthur.

-0-0-

Merlin snuggled against Arthur and sighed, their lovemaking in this secret room had always been special. It was as if for them, time here stood still and they were miles away from the noise, disruptions, problems and responsibilities of Camelot.

No frantic racing to satisfy only one partner's desire and need, it was mutually satisfying. Their love was mature, experienced and satisfying to both as partners. A mutual expression of the continuity of love in their lives, it spoke of trust and a deep lying respect for each other. Each one knew what pleased the other and their actions reflected this.

The embers in the fire gave a slight glow to the turret chamber. They caught the pewter dishes on the table from a late evening meal and highlighted the couple in bed.

Merlin's back was to the fire and he was cuddled into Arthur whose hair had taken on an amber tinge. They were both dead to the world.

The embers were never consumed and the faint wisps of smoke drifted towards the dark haired man before relinquishing their hold and retreating up the soot-stained chimney.

Arthur stirred first. He could feel Merlin beside him and his body flooded with love. He smiled; in spite of all the riches and material goods he possessed, this man's love given freely with no expectations, was his most precious possession. Merlin was his be all and end all.

He shifted slightly so he could reach his forehead and placed a soft kiss. He had not intended it to waken Merlin but it did and he lazily stretched and opened his eyes. His smile showed his pleasure in and love of the man beside him and he whispered cheekily, "Shall we welcome the new day in style…or are you not up to it?"

Arthur smiled, "You, Merlin, have a one thought mind? I can also assure you that I am well capable of keeping up with your insatiable appetites."

"…and you love me for it!"

"Well, it would be silly to waste such a glorious opportunity."

"When we are both old and grey, tottering around from a chair by the fireplace to the bed, with you fussed over by innumerable servants, we will regret that we hadn't taken every opportunity offered to us."

"At the rate, you're going, we'll be tottering before the day is out. However, it was your idea, mutually acceptable to me so…do to me whatsoever you want!"

…and Merlin did.

-0-0-

Merlin much later, slipped out of bed, dressed and walked down to their chambers to get food. Thomas had left breakfast platters on the sideboard so, Merlin placed all the food on one, covered it with a linen napkin and left the chamber.

He was careful, making certain that no one was around before pulling back the tapestry and slipping into the little corridor. Balancing the tray, on one hand, he made sure that it was pulled back into place to safeguard against prying eyes.

Balancing the tray against his chest for a second time, he unlocked the door, barred it, then made his way up the stairs.

Arthur was still in bed, tousled and satiated. Merlin smiled remembered how long it had taken Arthur to figure the meaning of the word. It seemed a lifetime ago. He put the platter on the table and said, "Here or in bed?"

Pulling himself up against the headboard, Arthur patted the bed beside him and said, "Here!"

Merlin fixed the pillows so they would be comfortable and placed the tray between them.

"I'm famished! Arthur said.

"Not really surprising as you used up plenty of energy overnight…"

"Why haven't we visited this chamber for so long? It seems ages since we last were here."

"Makes it all the better. I think it's because our new chambers are so private, we don't feel the need to get away. Anyway, who is going to bang on our bedchamber door and yell, "What's going on in there?"

"My father's spirit…?"

"Not likely as where he is, he is probably too busy trying to organise other souls into an anti-magic campaign."

Arthur laughed sure that Merlin had probably without realising it spoken the truth.

-0-0-

The rain started as they finished breakfast. They had planned to ride to the hunting lodge but as they often had to ride in the rain when they were on sorties, it was no novelty and they decided to find something more interesting to do.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. Merlin grinned and just shook his head, "No!"

"I know let's take Treva and we'll explore the tunnels under the various areas of the castle." Merlin frowned so Arthur continued, "Not anything dangerous, just from Gaius's area down to the laundry. It's quite safe, the maids use it everyday and I was down there as a kid." He laughed adding, "We used to play around in the tunnels on bad days. I bet Spenser remembers. We even had a picnic down there. Romney and Gielbert used to go with us and I think they enjoyed it is well"

Merlin doubted that the two squires would have been particularly thrilled supervising a young Arthur and his friends as they clambered around in the dark dank tunnels under the castle.

"One day we found this great staircase. We went down it and there was a huge cavern. Romney said that this was where the king had supposedly imprisoned the Great Dragon. We looked for it but couldn't find anything. You can stand at the edge of a rock shelf and look down."

Arthur was quiet for a few seconds before confessing that they had lain on their stomachs as they were all afraid of falling over the edge.

Merlin wondered if they had been in Kilgharrah's cave. He asked, "...and there was absolutely nothing there?" Arthur nodded. "Are you absolutely certain?" Merlin insisted.

Blushing slightly, Arthur said, "To tell you the truth, Merlin, I was scared shitless! I'd heard all sorts of stories and I was sure that there was something there. All I heard was rough scratching, what I imagined the sound would be if you ran your finger along rough scaly skin. I just wanted to get the hell out of there but I had to appear brave as I was the prince so I listened quietly as Edmund and Spenser discussed the pros and cons of a dragon maybe hiding in a crevasse and watching us."

"Some crevasse! Dragons are huge, he wouldn't have fitted into a crevasse. Realising what he had said, he quickly added, "He or she that is..."

Arthur asked, "Are you saying that there are lady dragons?"

"I don't know...do I look like a dragon expert? You're the one wearing the dragon emblem. Why ask me?"

"That's it, I've decided! Forget Treva, you and I are going to find this cavern. I'll recognise it by the big doors and all the steps. We'll ask Spenser to join us and Simon if he wants. Maybe Romney would give us a hand."

In the end the dragon contingent was made up of Arthur, Spenser, Simon and Rhylin. Romney had begged off and Rhylin had offered to go instead. Not that he knew anything about dragons but it was more interesting that sitting around playing cards and drinking.

Merlin said nothing; it would actually be kind of fun to go down to Kilgharrah's lair. He was certainly not going to give any directions but if they did ever find the stairs, he'd be able to spook at least Arthur by telling him to listen as he was sure there was something scaly down there. He decided that this might be an interesting way to spend a rainy afternoon.

"We'd better put on some warmer clothes as tunnels can be very damp, or so I have heard..."

-0-0-

The intrepid explorers suitably clad, set out. There was a lot of laughter and joking. At one point Spenser had crept up behind Arthur and blown on his neck. Merlin had almost cracked up at the look on Arthur's face. "Where's the big brave knight now?" he asked him.

Arthur turned laughing to say, "Let's see how brave you will be, Merlin, if we ever find the cavern?"

Merlin decided then and there that they had been wandering around enough and suggested when they had arrived at the next intersection of tunnels they should go left...

After a few false turns and with Simon in the lead, Arthur noticed the huge wooden doors and said, "This is it! I knew I'd find it!"

Merlin said, "Brilliant, even as a page you must have been observant and capable of leading an expedition."

Arthur nodded at the compliment and put his hand on the door. As Merlin added, "Is it safe? I have a mother who would be heartbroken if I were eaten by a dragon."

Arthur made the others laugh by saying, "You'd be just an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny hors d'oeuvre to a dragon, an amuse-bouche."

He turned nodded at the others and put his hand on the door…


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17 : THE DRAGON'S DEN**

The door opened with a minimum of effort, cool air brushing against their faces. Arthur said almost reverently, "These are the stairs...!" He turned laughing, "Let's see if we can find this dragon!"

They made their way slowly down the stairs, burning torches lighting the way. The flames flickering as they descended. It became cooler and Merlin was glad he'd put on a doublet.

The stairs stopped and opened onto a flat area. The four knights stood still Simon and Rhylin wide-eyed. Arthur nodded at Spenser, even as adults it was mind boggling that a cavern of this size was hidden beneath the castle and no one talked openly about it.

Arthur wondered how many people knew of its existence. He looked around, it was as he had remembered it. It fell away abruptly and at the bottom he could just make out a ribbon of water. He didn't question how he could see that far in a cavern.

Watching him, Merlin said, "Aren't you going to lie on your stomach? I wouldn't want you falling over."

Arthur frowned at Merlin, only to have Spenser say, "He's right, Arthur. Last time we were here, we all lay on our stomachs and peered over. I had nightmares for at least a week."

"Well," said Merlin confidentially, "Arthur told me he was scared shitless."

The others laughed a bit breathlessly as Simon wondered what had possessed him to go on this crazy expedition. If Spenser had not agreed, he would never have volunteered.

Merlin looking over the edge; his mind was filled with memories of times spent conversing with Kilgharrah. He said, "I think if we are careful, we should be able to climb down the cliff face over there and get to the little river below. Anyone game?"

There was no answer except from Rhylin who said, "I am if you lead the way."

Merlin said, "Fine, let's go...!"

But a hand on his shoulder held Rhylin back as Arthur said, "Not on my watch you don't. Your brother would never forgive me. Right?"

Turning to Merlin, he said quietly, "And you...I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Gaius would never speak to me again, Treva would be heartbroken and your mother would kill me...that is after Gawaine had finished with me."

Merlin smiled answering cheekily just as quietly, "...and I love you too, Arthur!"

Satisfied, Arthur smiled and looking at the others said gruffly, "No one is going over the edge." Simon and Spenser looked at each other breathing sighs of relief...

"You're all heart, Arthur!" Spenser said laughing.

The place was full of magic, Merlin could feel it leaching from the very rocks. He swallowed, remembering the times he had come to seek help which was often as confusing as his original question as the dragon loved speaking in riddles. Merlin knew at that moment, he was happy that Kilgharrah was still free. The punishment had not only been cruel but inhumane if that could be attributed to a king, who without remorse had killed hundreds of sorcerers and as many innocent people, adults and children.

In his mind, a captive dragon's inability to fly beyond the limit of the chains was a living death. Even the falcons and hawks in the castle mews had an opportunity to fly. Daily exercise kept them in good form both mentally and physically and should one ever decide to escape its life of captivity it could. Soaring freely above the castle, it might decide to ignore the call of food and strike out on its own.

Arthur stood contemplating the space. There was he believed enough space for a dragon. He couldn't even see the ceiling of the cavern. He felt a slight gust of wind in his face and froze then laughed to himself as if they had no trouble breathing, there must have been a source of fresh air.

He wasn't sure where they were in relation to the castle above. He was sure if he had had a map it would never have taken them that long to reach the door. Maybe they could find a shorter way back.

Merlin had watched Arthur sniffing the air. He closed his eyes briefly and suddenly Arthur's eyes opened wide, there was a suspicion of warm moist fetid air. He turned in a moment of panic towards Merlin who said, "What?"

The air changed again and Arthur didn't reply. "Nerves getting the best of you?" Merlin asked.

He shook his head but he was convinced that what he had smelled had to have been dragon. If dragons smelled like that… Sheep had their own smell as did humans so, why not dragons?

The others were dropping stones over the edge trying to estimate the depth below them. As they were occupied, Merlin decided that a visit to a dragon's cavern needed to be full of memories. He visualised Kilgharrah and allowed a shadow to flit across a distant rock face.

"What the hell was that!" Rhylin's voice full of fear broke the silence of the cavern.

They turned and looked at him noticing his ghastly pale colour. "I saw something across the way, a huge shadow which flitted across," he pointed with a trembling hand, "That section over there."

Merlin appeared as shocked as the others. "What was it?" he asked in mock disbelief.

"Damned if I know but I swear that I saw something straight ahead. It was massive and moved quite slowly. Don't tell me none of you saw it? How could you miss it? It was huge; it blocked out the light."

Merlin was quite enjoying himself. This was turning out to be more interesting than he had thought.

He decided that Spenser was going to be the next person assaulted by his magic. He thought a mild auditory attack might be appropriate. He remembered the rattle of Kilgharrah's chains and sent the sound to Spenser.

Spenser straightened up noticeably and said, "Shhh!" The others turned and looked at him, as no one had been making much noise.

"What was that?" He looked at their blank faces saying, "Didn't anybody hear that sound?"

The others shook their heads. "Well, I certainly heard something." He looked expectantly at Merlin whose acute hearing had often been commented upon by the other knights. "You didn't hear anything, Merlin?" Merlin shook his head so Spenser continued, "It reminded me of some poor soul dragging his chains after him…"

"…or the chains which confined that dragon to this area," Merlin offered helpfully.

This was so much fun, shame he had no one to share it with and then he decided that Gaius at least would get a kick out of it. He knew he'd feel that Merlin had been a little mean taking advantage of his friends but after all what else was there to do with four gullible people whose nerves were on end and who were at his mercy.

He had decided not to let them all experience the same feelings as this way at least three out of the four were still unaffected by each happening. He'd given three the experiences of smell, sight and hearing and now he only had touch and taste. For a second, he had wished that Gawaine had been with them as he would have enjoyed toying with his mind but he'd been in the village and it didn't take an above average intelligence to figure out where he probably was.

Simon was the next on his list and he prepared carefully so that he was standing alone away from the others. He was looking across probably trying to figure out what Rhylin might have seen His head was cocked to one side as if straining to hear the echoes of the chains which Spenser had been so certain he had heard.

Merlin's eyes closed briefly, he immobilised Simon so that he wouldn't fall and then allowed him to be conscious of pressure against his chest and the feel of dry scaly skin brushing against his arms and hands. He then released him so that he was able to speak.

Uncoordinated, he jumped back, turned towards the others stupefied, his eyes glancing down at his arms and his hands. Spenser still conscious of the ghostly sound he had heard, noticed the sudden backwards movement, "Simon, are you all right?"

"I don't know…"he said, shaking his head, "I felt something push against me. It was cold and large, my arms and hands felt dry rough skin not unlike a toad's but on a so much larger scale. It wasn't disgusting more frightening and I can't figure it out what it was. I can honestly say, that I have never in my life experienced that touch. Didn't anyone else feel anything?"

Arthur seeing that he was visibly upset walked over to him and putting his arm around his shoulders brought him back into the group. He said, "I didn't like to say anything before but I felt as if something had breathed on me when I was standing on the edge. Didn't I Merlin?"

"Well, you did look rather upset and nervous a way back but I thought that it might have been vertigo as you were awfully close to the edge of the ledge."

"It wasn't vertigo. I didn't feel anything apart from a wretched smell."

Rhylin said, "What did it smell like?"

"Disgusting," Arthur said, "Like an old man with really bad breath mixed with the sweet smell of vomit and the moist smell of muggy air."

"Yuck! Arthur, that's gross!" Spenser said, "Glad I didn't get a whiff of it as I find that it smells quite pleasant down here, must be the fissures in the rocks overhead which allows for fresh air and also the glimmer of daylight."

"Was it maybe the smell of sulphur from some type of spring?" Merlin said helpfully.

"Merlin, I'm not stupid, I know the smell of sulphur from the springs near Goffton." Arthur shook his head, he really didn't want to discuss it any more as the others were looking at him as if he was maybe making a big fuss over nothing. But it hadn't been nothing, his mind could still smell it if he tried hard enough.

They were quiet for a while each one reliving his own experience in the cavern. This gave Merlin his next opportunity to have them experience the last sense and its five basic tastes.

He decided to start with bitterness, it would make them conscious as of a warning, then he would allow saltiness to clear their palates, then precede to sourness, culminating in sweetness and finally savoury which would hopefully make them think of food and lead them into returning to the castle proper. He decided to allow them to experience it as a group.

Simon was the first to comment, "Strange but my mouth tastes bitter, is it something in the air?"

They nodded and began smacking their lips as hungry babies when they see food. Merlin then switched to saltiness and watched them licking their lips.

Arthur commented that it now tasted to him like heavily salted cabbage, the others nodded.

Rhylin was the first to turn up his nose as his mouth became sour. "Well, the saltiness has gone but now my mouth taste sour almost like rhubarb."

"Or bad wine…" insisted Simon

Merlin waited until everyone was nodding his head in agreement, standing there not unlike a group of penguins. He then infused their mouths with sweetness, concentrating on each person receiving the taste of whatever food for them was sweet.

Spenser looked relieved as he said, "Now my mouth tastes sweet like raspberries." The others agreed, listing sweet foods from a good wine to grapes and even ripe apples and their favourite desserts.

The next and final taste would be savoury. Merlin could have used cheese, crayfish or spinach but decided upon celeric, a turnip rooted celery. It would be known to them and leave them with a pleasant light reminder of their time in the cavern.

So he said, "Well, I now taste cheese, no maybe not…more celeric, rather nice if I say so myself."

Arthur said, "Merlin, your palate is hardly the gustatory guide to all savoury tastes, in my opinion it is turnip"

Rhylin and Simon agreed but Spenser looked apologetically at Arthur and stated that he too had tasted celeric.

Soon the tastes had dissipated and the men realised that they were hungry.

"I for one am ready to leave this place. Can't say I understand much of what happened but I won't forget it too soon," said Arthur. "Lead on, Rhylin!"

They turned to make their way up the stairs Rhylin leading followed by Simon and then Arthur chatting to Spenser. As a parting shot, Merlin blinked and allowed a blast of hot air to come from the cavern and chase them up the wide stairs.

Arthur and Spenser felt it first and sped up. When they finally all reached the top of the stairs, Merlin closed the door with a thump.

"What in heaven's name was that?" Arthur said. "I honestly thought that my back was on fire."

The others also remarked on the heat.

Arthur turned to Merlin and said, "All right, you always have the answers, what was that?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Merlin suggested, "The fiery breath of a dragon…?"

"Merlin, that is the most stupid thing that you have said in all the years that we've been together. There is _no_ dragon and even if there were one, what makes you think that you would be such an expert!" He turned on his heels and followed the others down the corridor.

Merlin smiled to himself thinking, 'Oh, Arthur, you of little faith!' Not having any idea of how late it was, he knew he felt hungry after a rather pleasant afternoon in Kilgharrah's old abode.

Arthur decided to invite the three knights to eat with him in his chambers. With a wink and an upward tilt of his head, he let Merlin know that they would be spending the night in the turret but this evening they would eat in the royal chambers.

Thomas materialised out of nowhere and Merlin told him that the king wished to eat with three or four knights in his chambers. "Sufficient food for seven," he told Thomas as Arthur had decided to add Romney as one of the original explorers years ago and Merlin had suggested that Gawaine would also be good company. He wanted to see his face as they recounted all the strange things which had happened to them.

Merlin went into the bedchamber to get a change of clothes for Arthur and himself. He had really enjoyed himself, he remembered that Gaius often said that a little humour is good for the soul and today he had surely refreshed his soul…

-0-0-

The original four were full of themselves as they recounted to Gawaine what they had experienced.

He looked at them puzzled as they didn't seem to have been drinking and they were so intense it was almost laughable. He said, "Hey, slow down! I can't follow if you keep interrupting each other. Where were you?"

Arthur took up the narrative giving a vague idea of the location and what had happened, allowing each knight to explain his specific part. He told of the awful obnoxious smell, allowing Spenser to explain what he had heard and Rhylin and Simon to explain about what they had seen and felt.

Romney smiled as he had had an abbreviated explanation from his brother when he had burst into their chamber on his way back to his own. He had finally left Romney trying to explain to his wife the Lady Mathilda that he was sure that it was just overstimulation and that they had possibly been drinking prior to setting off to explore.

He assured her that when he had gone years ago with Arthur they had experienced nothing apart from feeling a little unsure when they were standing on the rock shelf, so they had wisely lay down to peer into the depth of the cavern below them.

Shaking her head, she said, "Remind me never to allow you to take little Rupert exploring under the castle," and she held her baby close. "Honestly how your dear mother ever got you and Rhylin to adulthood, I'll never know. Go and have a pleasant supper with Arthur but remember, no childish escapades!"

Gawaine was gobsmacked, 'How had this happened without him?' No one had told him they were going to find the dragon's cave. He would have been all for joining them better than sitting in the tavern on a day when he had had no luck with either the cards or the wenches.

He turned to Merlin saying, "…and what did you experience?"

Merlin thought quickly and decided to support what Rhylin had said, "There was certainly something between me and the far side of the cave. It was blurred, not at all distinct but it didn't seem attached to anything and moved across the width of the cave."

The others nodded in unison, Merlin had also seen something and they all agreed that his eyesight was better than anyone's. Rhylin felt vindicated and smirked at his brother who grinned in return.

Romney decided that they were all nuts but as it was not really hurting anyone he decided to play along. He felt that at any moment they were all going to turn to Gawaine and him and call out in unison, 'What gullible knights you are!' before going off into peals of laughter.

But that didn't happen, they are about halfway through the second course when Simon mentioned the salty taste they had all experienced. Gawaine just shook his head but to the last man, they insisted that they had all been conscious of not only saltiness, but also sweetness, sourness, bitterness and a savoury taste.

"That must have been quite a shocking taste all of that at the same time."

"No, Gawaine, each taste was individual, it cleared and then once we mentioned it to each other another taste invaded out mouths," Spenser explained.

"Sounds like magic mushrooms to me!" Gawaine said grinning at Romney.

Arthur frowned at him saying, "Gawaine, be serious, it really happened...ask Merlin."

Not wanted to be drawn any further into the story than necessary, Merlin nodded and said, "Well, it was certainly strange." He was watching Gawaine becoming less confident that this was an elaborate joke and more sure that something had happened which he sorely regretted missing.

Thomas and a manservant removed the platters brining in extra mead and wine. The thing which most shook Gawaine was Arthur's account of the blast of hot air they had experienced as they walked back up the stairs. He was determined to visit this cavern and see exactly what they had experienced. He had heard that for years, Uther had held a dragon captive below the castle but he had never given it too much thought.

Slowly, the yawns became more apparent as the sentries had already started the second watch. Arthur stood up saying that he was ready to turn in and that as nothing in particular was scheduled for the following day, they could enjoy it with their families or drinking or whatever single knights did in their free time. He looked directly at Gawaine as he said, "…but, no venturing down to the cavern."

They said their good-night's and left. Merlin said, "If you want to go upstairs, I should nip ahead and light a fire. It will be chilly."

Wrapping his arms around Merlin's shoulders Arthur said, "You choose, I'm tired and any bed sounds good to me."

Merlin grabbed his hand and led him into their own bedchamber. "At least, this way, we don't have to worry that someone will see us sneaking around at night."

Arthur started to disrobe and was literally stepping out of his clothes leaving them where they fell. He slipped into the water closet and then walked to the bed which Merlin had turned down after he'd stoked the fire which Thomas must have built-up before he left for the night.

In the winter, he would also have put warming pans in the bed but not at this time of year.

"Did you lock the door?" Arthur said with a smirk.

"Like second nature to me now," Merlin replied smiling.

Merlin went to get undressed stopping to pick up all Arthur's clothes. He knew that one of the things he would have enjoyed about being royal would have been someone to pick up after him. He hated tripping over things during the night if he had to get up and certainly preferred to tidy up the room at night. He didn't light the night candle at the end of the bed as the light from the fire would suffice.

He crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around Arthur who did not respond and Merlin figured that he had already fallen fast asleep. He sighed realising that any lovemaking would have to wait…


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18 : GIVE AND TAKE**

Merlin woke to the sentry's muffled voice announcing dawn. He could hear the rain beating on the windows so he cuddled into the blankets. He hadn't slept as well in a long time. He glanced at Arthur who was still asleep. He knew he should get up to close the slightly ajar window and maybe put more logs on the fire but he didn't want to put his warm feet on the cold flagstones so he stayed put.

Arthur finally came to and yawned quietly, he felt sure that Merlin must still be asleep and he decided that a cuddle was the optimum way to start their day. Merlin was miles away dreaming of caves and tunnels. He came to and snuggled into Arthur's hug.

"I missed you last night,"Arthur said sexily.

"Well, I wasn't hiding anywhere I was right here but by the time I'd picked up after you, you were literally dead to the world."

"Funny, Merlin, as that is what the majority of people do during the night. They sleep and if they are lucky dream of their loved ones and the fun they can have once they wake up."

Merlin laughed, "An offer I can't refuse but first let me close the window and put some wood on the fire." Merlin slipped his feet out of bed and did a quick tiptoeing shuffle to the window. It was still raining and he felt sorry for the guards on duty in the courtyard. The place was deserted. Without the sun, he couldn't fathom a guess as to what time it was but sooner of later one of the sentries would announce the time. He hadn't heard Thomas putting breakfast platters on the sideboard so he made a detour to their chamber door

Arthur's voice moaning, "Merlin, if you don't get back soon I'll have lost the urge!" interrupted him.

Thinking, 'As if!' Merlin laughed and called over his shoulder, "Hang on, I'm checking on breakfast." He walked down the hall into the antechamber and sure enough their breakfasts were there, picking them up, he returned to the bedchamber, putting them on the table as he went to bank up the fire.

Finally finished, he turned to find an empty bed. He shook his head, trust Arthur to decide to be funny. He went into the water closet but it was empty. He knew that he had not gone out of the bedchamber as he would have passed him in the corridor.

He decided that two could play the game so he returned to the bed, bouncing on the side before slipping under the blankets. The bed was well made but the rope stretching across the base made getting into or out of bed in silence pretty impossible. Each bed seemed to have its own peculiar groan. Merlin wanted just that noise to make Arthur reveal his hiding place.

One part of him regretted leaving the bed in the first place but the closed window and crackling of the kindling and the popping of the sap in the bark of the logs led him to realise that he had done the right thing.

He lay perfectly still, breathing carefully, his ears searching for any sound that might give away Arthur's position. Suddenly, one of the curtains near the bedpost moved a fraction of an inch. He'd found him.

Trying to make as little noise as possible and praying that the gods would keep the bed quiet. He slipped his feet out until they reached the floor. He pushed himself upright and stood still. If Arthur had heard him or could see him, there was no sign as the bed curtain stayed perfectly still.

Merlin slowly moved in that direction and waited. He was almost certain, as the curtain fell with a fullness not usually noticeable that it hid one king. He slipped his hands into the fold near the tasseled edge and encountered skin. He grabbed at what he found only to be confronted by Arthur's yelp.

"Merlin, if you have to manhandled me do so with discretion! I'll be of no use to you if you keep that up," Arthur said with a huff as he emerged.

"Any port in a storm or...should that be any appendage in necessity! Sorry, but you were the one who wanted to play this game and I had returned and was patiently waiting for you in bed…"

"I now realise that but at the time it seemed like a good idea."

"It could have been worse, I could have thought that you were a rat and attacked you with a stool."

Arthur smiled saying, "Well, if that was the alternative, I guess I was lucky."

Merlin reached for Arthur's shoulders to lead him back to bed. He said with a glint in his eye, "Do you want me to go and get Gaius to check you out or are you capable of performing without any help?"

Arthur's face lit up, he leant towards Merlin saying just above a whisper, "I am sure with your expertise of Gaius's remedies and hands on treatment that you would be able to help me as needed…."

By the time, the sentries next announced the time, the bed cradled two sleeping persons. Arthur was cuddled into Merlin who had a smile on his face.

-0-0-

Once the rain finally cleared, Arthur decided to walk down to Castle Farm to see how the foals were coming along. He was always on the look out for good horses and he liked to surprise himself by being able to pick out prospects as young as three month olds.

It turned out to be a beautiful day and Merlin and he decided to take a couple of horses and ride up to HighTor. From there they would have an excellent view of the valley especially of the castle below them. Opting to go without guards, they went by themselves.

Arthur chose to ride one of the younger horses and he chose his four year old Welsh stallion Rhydian. He had been a gift from Prince Michael of Wales. Arthur at one tournament, had mentioned his favourable impressions of Prince Michael's stallion and as a result the following summer Rhydian had arrived as a yearling. Merlin decided to take the white gelding which, Gaius often rode. He was called Albus not too original but quite appropriate. He was a kind horse quite suitable to ride with a young stallion which could be a might harebrained.

The afternoon was perfect for riding, the air clear and in no time they started the easy climb up HighTor. The castle defenders used this hill as a lookout; sentries were posted here both in times of peace to alert the castle that royal guests were arriving and in times of attack to alert the castle of the invaders.

Today, they left the horses and completed the last ten minutes climb on foot. Merlin lowered himself down on the grass which covered the summit. It was a very old area as there were standing stones inscribed with druid signs. Fire pits showed that beacons were used to send messages at night. The wind had dropped yet above them was a pair of eagles circling effortlessly.

"Now, they must have a fabulous view of the castle and the surrounding areas," Arthur said.

Lying flat on his back beside the seated Arthur, Merlin squinted up at them and said seriously, "Arthur, do you ever have dreams that you are flying?"

"Sorry, no! My dreams are mostly of my feet firmly planted on the earth. However," he smiled, "I am sure that you are going to tell me of the wonderful flights you take while you are asleep."

Merlin punched him in the arm but not to be outdone continued, "Well, sometimes, I dream that I am flying. I can see you and the knights below me and even on occasions, I swoop through the halls of the castle to arrive quickly at my destination. I even once flew all the way back to Ealdor to check on my mother."

"…and now you're going to tell me that she saw you and waved!"

"No, she didn't but she was working in the garden with her herbs and looked quite safe and happy."

"So, you took the return flight and landed up back in bed beside me? That must have been a bit of a let down."

"Well…yes and no, as I did come back to you but it was no let down as you became quite amorous and well you know we…"

Arthur propped himself up on one elbow and smiled, "Like this, Merlin?" he said, leaning over him and letting his hands roam over him before giving him a gentle kiss.

"No, not really, more like this!" He pushed Arthur back against the grass and kneeling over him, gave him a kiss which left both of the breathless. He smiled softly and said, "…and then you…"

Arthur grinned; he loved Merlin as the instigator as it made their loving more interesting. He had all sorts of ridiculous rituals which used to leave Arthur breathless and begging. So he said, "Do you think the eagles would mind if you paid less attention to them and more attention to me?"

"I do believe that from their perspective, it would worry them little if we amused ourselves a bit." He then looked down at Arthur with a wicked grin saying, "They might even learn a few things."

He soon had Arthur's complete attention. There was no frantic groping and raced sex. They had the world to themselves and with Merlin in charge the pace was unhurried and loving. He smiled to himself remembering the first time he had seen the white walls of Camelot and how things had progressed from that first moment when he had rebuked a crown prince for his unjustified treatment of a servant to this moment when he had a king at his mercy.

He knew that the eagles wouldn't care less but he wondered how some of the residents of Camelot would feel knowing that for this afternoon, he had complete control of their king.

He looked down at Arthur and smiled, loving someone so intensely encompassed joy and pain.

Eventually, they lay quietly side by side, best friends even if one happened to be the illustrious King of Camelot and the other his beloved manservant a dragonlord.

The stones were buzzing but he doubted that Arthur would hear them. He smiled softly, his magic reaching out to them acknowledging their past and welcoming their future. He closed his eyes and dozed, he was happy and satisfied. The sun was warm and when he looked up the sky was empty…neither clouds nor eagles in sight. He could hear cawing of crows and the high pitched screams of a merlin.

Arthur stirred and Merlin was immediately awake. "Merlin?" he said.

"I should hope so, I would not like to think that you took time from your busy life to intimately entertain someone else this afternoon. It's time we got back. It must be late afternoon and I'm famished as we breakfasted so late and then skipped lunch."

"But, we had other important things to do, didn't we?"

"That we did!" Merlin said smiling at him.

"The eagles are gone…probably left to try out something they picked up from us."

"Arthur, I doubt it but who knows?" He got to his feet and brushed off his knees, leaning forward, he gave Arthur his hand and hauled him to his feet. He gave Arthur the once over and brushed some crushed grass from his hair and sand from his back, "Can't have you wandering in looking dishevelled, people will think you were bucked off your horse."

"Don't worry, I'll tell them I hadn't fallen from but fallen for someone."

"Well, that would go over well. Gawaine would never give you any peace; he'd be wanting to know…who…what…where…when…how…and why."

They reached the horses and as Merlin untied Albus, Arthur came up behind him, putting his arms around his waist, he whispered, "…Merlin...a little loving…on High Tor...this afternoon…with utmost trust…because I love him very much." He kissed the back of Merlin's head and went to get Rhydian.

Merlin smiled as he mounted of all the things in the world he was assured of one thing, Arthur loved him.

-0-0-

Later that evening, Arthur asked Merlin to get Spenser for him. "Put out some drinks and ask Leon to join us. I want to organise these trips to Shepton and Newcome."

Merlin said, "They'll probably have already turned in."

"Well, Merlin, I know you can get me up in the mornings so, please do the same to them."

Merlin set out. He went first to Leon's and his manservant opening the chamber door. "Is Sir Leon still up?"

The manservant nodded, "He is just reading at his table. Follow me..."

Merlin was led into Leon's chamber and he was reading in his dressing robe near the fire. "Leon, sorry to take you away from your book but the king would like to see you now."

Leon jumped up with a worried look on his face, so Merlin said, "It's not an emergency." He glanced over his shoulder and saw that his manservant had left the room. "He wants to see you and Spenser."

"Send my William to get him."

"No, I'll go while you get dressed. If you get there first, tell Arthur, I'm on my way back."

Merlin went along the corridor to the single knights' chambers. As he raised his hand to the door, it was opened by Simon, who when he saw Merlin took on the hue of a beetroot. Straightening his already straight tunic, he said nervously, "I…I was just leaving." Merlin had an immediate flashback. He could see himself standing guiltily in front of Gaius who had caught him returning to his own little room one morning just before dawn.

"Simon, it's all right…Arthur just wants to talk to Spenser." The latter hearing Merlin's voice arrived at the door hastily tying his dressing robe.

The look of panic on their faces was comedic. Merlin tried to relax the situation by saying, "Come on, you're consenting adults…Arthur isn't going to be upset."

"But we kept it a secret, I wanted to tell him but the time never seemed right," Spenser said.

Merlin smiled, "Not the best kept secret. Anyone with a brain could see that you were taken with each other. I'm happy for you as I'm sure Arthur will be." The two of them relaxed slightly, "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret but maybe drop a few hints so that when you tell Arthur, he'll be able to say that he had his suspicions all along. That will keep him happy."

Simon looking visibly relaxed, turned to smile at Spenser and then walked off to his own chamber. Spenser opened the door wide inviting Merlin into his chamber, blushing slightly at the unmade bed and the clothes strewn everywhere but Merlin ignored the state of the room and repeated that Arthur wished to see him. "Get dressed, I'll wait and we'll walk back together."

Spenser did as Merlin suggested but couldn't keep quiet. He explained that he had known Simon for what seemed like a lifetime as Simon had been at Camelot since he was a page. He got all flustered and explained that he'd only really been attracted to him since he was a senior squire but he had never approached him like that until Simon was knighted. "Then it had been nearly a year before we had even hugged," Spenser confessed ruefully.

Merlin smiled, he remembered the months that Arthur and he had been unsure that the other felt any attraction. As it was happening, it had been excruciating but looking back on it now, he knew that it was part and parcel of falling in love and declaring one's feelings.

Merlin said, "Spenser, you have nothing to explain to me. Arthur and I have always liked Simon; I can see how you would be attracted to him. Even as a senior squire, he fitted well into the group of knights as he was trustworthy and could be relied upon."

As they walked back to Arthur's, Merlin smiled as he realised that Spenser was getting more nervous with each step. Merlin put a hand on his arm, "Spenser, relax. Nothing is any different since supper."

"I know but I have the awful feeling that I'll take one look at Arthur and blurt the whole thing out…"

-0-0-

Two days later, Merlin said in passing, "Spenser and Simon seem to get along well…"

"Of course, they do! They're both Camelot knights, trustworthy and capable and as men they are easy going, a pleasure to have around. Why shouldn't they get along well?"

"Just wondered…"

"Merlin, as your Lord and Master, I think any spare time you have should be occupied with thoughts of me and how you are going to take care of my needs," Arthur said with a knowing look. "Why do you have to bother yourself about other knights when you hopefully have enough on your plate, looking after me?"

Merlin walked over to Arthur and slipped his arms around his shoulders, reading over his shoulder the names Arthur had been deciding for future missions, he said, "Just thought, that as they are so compatible, it would be easier and more enjoyable for Spenser to have Simon rather than Aislin on this Shepton mission with him."

"The way you're going on, sounds like you're matchmaking. Stop it! Knights can choose their own friends without any of your help. They are all interchangeable when it comes to whom they are paired with on excursions."

Arthur paused a moment before adding, "Yet, those two do seem to work well together. Go ahead, check with Spenser if he wants Simon, that's fine by me. It should only be a two-nighter, no grooms, no squires and they should be back around noon the following day. Aislin can just as easily go with Rook, to Newcome; they are also well suited and they can discuss their families."

Merlin smiled to himself before echoing Arthur's words by saying, "They all get along really well together and that is good among knights."

Arthur kept looking at the lists and said, "I guess it helps as rivalry between them would make life very difficult especially when you're out on a mission. Competitiveness can cause a break in the ranks and it could prove disastrous."

"Not among those two," Merlin said offhandedly.

"True, they seem to spend a lot of time together. Mind you, Spenser is one in a million."

"Yes, I'm sure that Simon feels that way too!" As the words came out of his mouth, Merlin was worried that he had maybe gone too far, he was only supposed to be dropping hints for Arthur. However, the words went right over Arthur's head and he sighed a breath of relief. He paused then continued, "Should I go and have a word with Spenser now?"

Three days later, Spenser and Simon left shortly after dawn to deliver the king's missive. Merlin had dropped by the previous evening to give them directions to a special cave which he could highly recommend.

-0-0-

Things settled to the regular routine of Camelot; morning training sessions, afternoon council meetings interspersed with discussions to settle village problems of an outstanding nature. To this were added, regular sorties and if the opportunity presented itself a little relaxation by hunting.

Merlin could never understand how killing animals was relaxing but Arthur explained to him that it was the skill of the hunter to find the prey and dispatch it quickly which called for a different set of emotions than discussing castle renovations or prisoners' appeals. Therefore in his mind, he found a couple of hours chasing around the woods exhilarating followed by the relaxing satisfaction of knowing that something which at the time had been pleasurable also resulted in food on the table for others.

Arthur laughed as he added, "Come on, Merlin, don't tell me that you've forgotten the excitement of the chase and the enjoyment of the capture. If I rightly remember, you were not averse to 'chase and capture' in your younger days."

Merlin grinned; he too remembered when in the beginning, they used to waylay each other. He remembered one day playing hide and seek and staying hidden for so long that when an exhausted and annoyed Arthur found him, he was so furious that he had refused to even give him a hug. He'd just grabbed his wrist and made him follow him. He blushed remembering that that had lasted until they had arrived in the privacy of Arthur's bedchamber when things had taken a decided change for the better.

"Yes, those days were fun but fraught with the danger that your father or one of his cronies might catch us and our worlds well, mine at least would come crashing down…"

"Merlin, that knowledge was never far from my mind and I tried to be extremely careful as I knew the outcome. Gaius warned me often enough… I don't think I could have lived alone."

Merlin smiled, "You and your mind and me with Gaius's continually reminders of 'Be careful, Merlin, you're playing with fire!' I always thought he breathed a sigh of relief when I came down the stairs for breakfast before going to wake you up. When I took over the manservant's room in your chambers, I think he felt slightly better as the reminder became 'Remember to lock the door!' It wasn't until you were king that he stopped worrying about me."

Arthur put his arm around his shoulders saying, "Don't kid yourself, Gaius will always worry about you. You're an important part of his life and worry is interest paid by those who care…"


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 : CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON**

Arthur was in a happy frame of mind as he enjoyed his current life. At the back of his mind he knew that they would be having guests before the month was out but he could cope with that as it was in the future. Everyday living however, was good.

Today, there had been a training session with the younger knights against the senior squires. He had watched pleased to see that the squires were holding their own and that a few seemed to have a flair for face to face combat.

Since Rhylin had become a knight, the senior squire most used by the king was Rhys a young relative of the Welsh royal family, who once knighted would return to Wales. He excelled in horsemanship, was quick to learn and trusted by all. Arthur had teased him that if he returned to compete in future tournaments, he's be considered a worthy opponent. The young man had beamed, thrilled that the king had praised his abilities.

He was sometimes paired up with Gregory the youngest son of Sir Reginald. This year, there were six senior squires with no guarantee that they would be considered worthy of wearing the red cloak of Camelot. They worked hard not only in their studies but at all their training in medieval warfare. In this final year they would be making more outings with the knights preparing for the eventuality that in June next year, they would be invested. Each one had but one desire, to be invested as a knight of Camelot.

Most had fathers who were knights and some were the younger brothers of current Camelot knights. It was not unlike a tradition in their families, the boys grew to be knights and the girls married knights producing more boys who would become pages then squires and finally knights.

Arthur found it comforting to see the lines continue from one generation to the next. Some families had been within the same kingdom for many generations, serving one king. Occasionally a knight would be accepted who had been trained in another kingdom but the majority of knights were Camelot raised. It was a big responsibility looking after fourteen to twenty-one year olds and training them in the art of warfare. Not all squires survived and there had been years when even senior squires had lost their lives.

Arthur refused to take pages into battles, although some kingdoms did as they were used to look after the knights' armour and horses. The mortality rate for these children was very high as they were unable to fight, had no armour or weapons and accidents seemed to happen for no apparent reason. If a knight could barely save his own life the chance of his protecting his lowly page was questionable.

Twenty and twenty-one year old squires did accompany the knights but Arthur agreed to begin with that senior squires might go out on skirmishes, only when it was necessary. They needed the experience but he didn't want the blood of children on his hands.

The year that Arthur was a senior squire, his father had insisted that all the senior squires and those in their second to last year, had to accompany the knights on all excursions. Arthur would never forget how a young squire called Cadmus had fallen beside him pierced through by a spear. Suddenly, the whole feeling of the excursion had changed from excitement to horror and Uther had not called off his knights even when the majority of the enemy were killed. He had allowed them to hunt down and murder all enemy knights and retainers who had escaped death in the first instance.

Arthur had never forgotten that. He knew that there were innocent pages who had been killed by the Camelot soldiers just because they were with the enemy. Years later he was to learn that Sirs Masson and Lionel had managed to round up five young boys and hide them in a farmhouse later sending word to the other nation, where there pages could be found. There were some parts of life as a knights which had its drawbacks… He smiled drawbacks must be a reality in all aspects of castle life.

He had a good feeling about this years group of senior squires and he felt sure that barring any unfortunate incidents there would be six candidates for the knighthood.

The end of the training session was over and Arthur nodded at the squire master and thanking the knights for taking part in the exercise and he walked back to the castle with Merlin and his knights.

Gawaine suggested, "We should all go to the alehouse and toast the squires."

"You'd find any reason to have a drink, wouldn't you?"

"Well, one reason is as good as the next in my books."

Arthur asked Rook, Leon and Gavin to join him and they made their way to the inn. They walked from the training field and as Arthur walked past each group of people he was applauded and wished the best of health.

He stopped at the blacksmiths and the smithy beamed with pride. It was quite an honour to have the king visit. Going throughout the market stalls, Arthur stopped nodding a various merchants. Seeing one little girl hiding shyly behind her mother's skirts, he plucked a ribbon from one of the stalls and handed it to the mother for the little girl who couldn't be convinced to leave her mother's skirts. The crowd applauded and Leon slipped the stall owner a penny for the ribbon.

Passing by one of the fruit stalls, Arthur stopped to comment on the blackberries and told Leon to make arrangements for them to be sent up to the castle kitchens as he felt like some blackberry tarts.

When they finally reached the last stall which held hats and scarves, he laughingly picked up a woollen scarf and draped it around Merlin's neck. "That will keep you warm in the winter!" he said. The stall keeper was thrilled envisioning being able to tell all and sundry that the good King Arthur had purchased one of his wares for his manservant. He almost fell over himself, repeating, "Thank you, Sire, for the honour!" as Leon paid for the merchandise.

They made their way to the inn and Gawaine said, "I think you should do a weekly walkabout. You should have seen the look on the townspeople's faces, they were thrilled. I can see signs going up after this, 'The King Shops Here!'

Merlin said quietly, "Well better than 'The King Slept Here!' if we are to believe the number of cases when the king sleeps away, he wouldn't have been in Camelot one day this year."

"And that would put a dent it your claim to fame…" Gawaine said with a grin to Merlinadding, "Well, it would give other people the chance…"

Merlin grinned back, "Gawaine, it would be a frosty day in August…"

"I'll start praying now for next year," his friend said with a wink.

"What are you two mumbling about?" Arthur said as Gawaine opened the door for him to walk into the inn.

"Weather!" Merlin and Gawaine said together and then laughed.

-0-0-

The reapers were busy, scythes and knives in hand. Stooks were made up from sheaves of wheat and the farmers prayed for good weather so that the seed heads would dry. Peasants were harvesting their little patches and any areas where grains grew wild. Heavily laden wagons were making their ways to the castle where the grain would be stored all winter and if the spring was late and the villagers starving, it would be shared to combat hunger of both humans and livestock until the weather improved.

The spring and summer weather had been good and the harvest was bountiful. The barren field after reaping was then opened to the gleaners, poor villagers who would scavenge among the stubble to find fallen seed heads which would give them something to grind down into flour or bake whole into soups and stews. They worked bent over in silence slowly making their ways down the field, surrounded by little children also collecting the precious harvest.

Arthur surveyed the work with pleasure. As king he would be responsible for feeding the castle until the spring. Grains and root vegetables as well as meat, would see them through the winter.

Once his guests left he would organise a couple of hunts to replenish the stores of venison and wild boar.

Hunting would continue all winter but for the seasonal festivities, meat would be on hand allowing the cooks to prepare magnificent meals. Waterfowl such as ducks and geese would also be in demand as would pork and mutton. Some meat would be smoked or dried to preserve as winter weather conditions would be anyone's guess and in years gone by when the roads and footpaths were treacherous with ice, the preserved food would have to last them until hunters were again able to get out.

The smell of the drying grain, and the unusual warmth of the days relaxed not only Arthur but his knights. Some were of the opinion that the barley harvested during good weather was sweeter making the resulting ale more to their likening.

"Nothing worse that a bad batch to spoil a day," Rook said as he shook his head.

Aislin added, "I can stomach it as long as it comes in a mug and smells familiar."

Gawaine opened his mouth to say something but Merlin cut in, "Yes, Gawaine, we know anything that looks like, smells like or sounds like ale is acceptable."

Everyone laughed, Gawaine included adding, "Our manor farmer used to add ale to his hogs's swill. Never seen such good-looking animals in my life and he used to increase it before they were slaughtered and the result was that the meat was succulent." He signed and licked his lips.

Aislin mentioned that one of his father's brothers lived on the coast and his cook used to soak mussels and welks in ale overnight. "Swore, they were drunk when cooked. You've never tasted a better mussel stew," he said.

"Pickled more likely…" Arthur commented. He smiled it didn't take much to make a knight happy, a full belly and good ale.

The castle women responsible for the brewing of ale were well respected. A cask contained up to one hundred forty gallons or over a thousand pints The castle including all the servants went through at least two hundred fifty-six pints or a hogshead a day. At a feast of multiple days, with hundreds of revellers the contents a cask would be consumed.

Glancing back across the harvested barley fields, Arthur saw instead of stubble, mugs of refreshing ale. Then his mind came back to the present and the imminent arrive of his unwanted house guests.

-0-0-

The Montbus Clan as Arthur referred to them would be accommodated in the south-west tower. Their chambers would overlook the village and duck pond. It was also at the opposite end of the castle from the royal chambers so hopefully unless they were dining together he would see little of them.

King Peter had always been slightly annoying as he seemed to want to integrate himself into Arthur's inner circle of friends. In years gone bye, he had been less of a nuisance as he had spent his time with Uther but now that Arthur was in control he knew that he would have to face this annoying man. He couldn't be rude to him but he intended to be unavailable whenever possible, even if it meant hiding in the turret room or in the woods.

Merlin had burst out laughing when he had shared the idea with him, "That's a great idea, we should have guests more often. Maybe you could set up a second household in one of the other towers. Just a handful of trusted staff and favourite knights and we could become a secluded sect devoted to hunting, eating and… Well, you know what I mean."

"…and who, my dear Merlin, would run the kingdom on these frequents retreats from everyday life?"

"Well, your senior council could draw straws giving each one a chance to be in charge." Merlin laughed saying, "Honestly, Arthur, you know the king will finally pin you down to one of his interminable discussions, why not just get it over at done with at the beginning of the visit?"

"Because then there would be no way of stopping him, he'd ask to be an observer at all council meetings so he could benefit by understanding the workings of Camelot. His son Prince Paul is the same. I can just see him at breakfast saying, 'Well, Father, how are we going to annoy Arthur today?' You may laugh, but that's the way it will be, mark my words."

"Couldn't you plan some sort of excursion for the two of them and their menservants? Leon could be roped in to babysit them at least one day and Gawaine could give them an in-depth tour of not only the local ale houses but all the inns in the region. Just think, given free range with a purse full of gold he could probably keep them out of you hair for a least a fortnight."

On their last visit, Merlin hadn't found the old king, that annoying but then he didn't have direct contact with him. When he was in meetings with Arthur, Merlin used to catch Arthur's eye and wink or raise an eyebrow. Poor Arthur was always exhausted after any meetings as he claimed that his jaws were aching from clenching them and trying not to laugh.

Merlin continued, "I was not fussy about Prince Paul on his last visit. There's something underhanded about him. His wife is a mouse which is not really her fault as I would think that life is easier for her if she behaves that way."

"No, I have nothing against Queen Faerian, Paul's wife Rosann or his sister the Princess Petra. The other ladies of the court find them sociable and are quite happy entertaining them. Oh well, this is one of the downsides of entertaining."

"Could you just not invite them the next time?" Merlin suggested.

"God, Merlin, I didn't invite them this time! They just announced that they would be visiting at the end of the summer. Well, at least Prince Paul's boys are no problem and the Princess Petra is inconsequential as she just simpers and stays with her companion ladies."

How wrong he was!

-0-0-

Messages had been sent to the castle during King Peter's travels, each day another messenger appeared with an update of the estimated time of arrival.

On the actual day of their arrival, Arthur had a sudden urge to go out riding as the weather had been unseasonably warm and promised to stay so for a couple of days. Merlin knew by Arthur's face that it was something well planned. Not that the Lord Chamberlain couldn't cope with welcoming the guests but Merlin felt sure that Arthur had something up his sleeve.

Considering that it was supposedly an on the spur of a moment outing, he was surprised when Rhys arrived in the courtyard with their horses equipped with bedrolls and well packed saddle bags. He looked at Arthur who purposely ignored him.

He was then pleasantly surprised to be joined by Treva and his friend Henry accompanied by the squire Gregory. It was going to be a family outing. In the end the group of eight included, the adults, Arthur, Merlin, Simon, Spenser, the three squires Rhys, Sir Rook's brother Erik and Gregory and much to their delight, the youngsters Treva and Henry.

Lady Henrietta stood on the stairs and waved her son off cautioning him to pay strict attention to Rhys and the other squires and not to make a nuisance of himself.

Arthur smiled and said that he would make certain that both of the boys were kept safe.

The squires knew that they were included to watch out for the two boys but both were thrilled as they had been chosen over their classmates for this honour.

-0-0-

Unbeknownst to Merlin, Thomas and Randall had left earlier in the morning for Yewdene.

Yewdene was a manor house owned jointly by Arthur and Merlin. It had been a present for the two young men, years ago from Sir Geoffrey de Monmouth. He had no direct descendants and wanted it to belong to someone who would appreciate it. Arthur had visited it as a child with his manservant Humphrey when Geoffrey's parents, Lord Hawley and Lady Imelda were alive. Arthur had been captivated by Geoffrey's mother and her love of falcons predominantly merlins. Lady Imelda saw in Arthur a younger son.

Over the years, Merlin and Arthur had often managed to squeeze in a few days at Yewdene, however once Arthur became king it was more difficult. Yewdene was well situated only a three hour fast ride from Camelot. The staff were used to short visits of the owners and the whole manor and surrounding farms were staffed by family members. They had inherited not only the manor house but the family.

They left the courtyard around noon and made their way slowly in the direction of the manor. Merlin rode beside Arthur and queried the presence of bedrolls and food. They would easily arrive before supper and the house could accommodate eight with no trouble.

"Listen, Merlin, when I decide the play truant I do so in style. Anyway who said we would be going to Yewdene?"

"Gaius did when he handed me the first aid supplies. You'd told Geoffrey and they had supper together last night!"

Arthur laughed, "Well surprise! I changed my mind…"

They kept a slow pace so that the ponies could keep up. Arthur was in no hurry if he could have taken weeks away he would have. He really had a bad feeling about the upcoming visit. As ruler, he had to be sociable to all visitors but every now and again, it was a real effort. He had so little in common with these people. He would have been happier inviting a family of wild boar to stay with him.

Gaius when he had mentioned it to him had smiled saying, 'Arthur, your father wasn't thrilled having them visit either. He used to make himself scarce. Maybe you could do the same..."

Hence, this planned get away.

The last time they had visited, he was still feeling his way as king. Now, he was at ease in his position. He no longer felt insecure; he knew his worth as a leader. He decided to limit the hours he was available to the visiting family.

He would host both welcoming and departure feasts with a full compliment of knights and castle residents. Evening meals would be shared with senior knights and their wives in attendance. He would only eat twice a week with the guests, both times would be in the throne room as opposed to the grand hall. He did not intend to invite anyone to eat in his private dining room except his regular friends.

He would host a mini tournament for the young knights. It would give him the opportunity to flaunt their abilities. He intended there to be individual as well as team competitions. Sir Reginald has agreed to plan the advent so Arthur and his guests would just enjoy it.

These plans made the upcoming days more bearable. He hoped to keep meetings to a minimum yet, he knew he would have to spend some time with the king and his son.

Arthur raised his hand and the group slowed and stopped. Merlin had noticed that he wasn't very talkative but attributed it correctly to the upcoming weeks.

"We'll take a break, to water the horses and give us a chance to stretch." He knew that nearly two hours in the saddle was tiring for the youngsters.

Merlin pulled some bread and cheese from his saddle bag. Treva had found some berries and he was sure Henry and he had eaten more than they brought back. He grinned at the two boys and had them put the berries on a large leaf.

Spenser searched his saddle bag and found some sweet blackberry bread. He shared it with the others. Ale was passed around and finally the boys looked as if they were ready to once again get back on their ponies.

They had ridden for half an hour when, Arthur had pointed to a trail off the beaten path. Merlin knew that path led to a rocky outcrop riddled with caves. He rode closer to Arthur saying, "Really? That's why we have bedrolls?"

Arthur nodded, "Well, I've never known you to pass up the chance to stay there and what better way to introduce Treva to overnight camping than in our favourite cave."

Merlin could feel his heart beating faster. That cave had been a pivotal place in their feelings for each other. It had been the site of wonderful and horrendous things which had happened to him. He felt a shiver go down his back as he remembered the fear which for a long time had kept Arthur and him apart.

Arthur reached over and placed his hand on Merlin's knee, "Just remember the good times, My Love, you will be fine."

Glancing at Arthur, Merlin forced all the negative memories and concentrated on the happy memories associated with the beautiful cave.

"Wait until Treva sees it! Just think, we first saw it as adults, imagine if we had seen it as children."

Merlin smiled softly and said, "I think I would have felt that I had died and gone to heaven." He was determined to remain positive.

Arthur and he would never forget what had happened and if not for Gawaine's arrival, they would have both been killed. Time desensitises almost everything however, he still remembered Arthur's screams of pure anger and his own intense desire to pass beyond what was happening to him even if it meant dying. He remembered the blood of the man who held him to the boulder and Gawaine's holding him gently; he remembered feeling Arthur's arms around him and then thankfully darkness. It had taken him many months before he would even let Arthur touch him.

He then thought of the beauty of the cave, its narrow mouth, its towering roof and wonderful chimney shaft which allowed in not only light but rain. He wondered if the pond still felt warm and the plants around it were still alive. It wasn't fair that the memories of such a beautiful place had been smeared by the dreadful actions of a couple of despicable men.

He decided to see the cave again in the eyes of Treva. They climbed slowly and soon it was time to lead their horses the rest of the way. He took Treva's hand and gave Arthur Iago's reins. He turned back and Simon had Henry's hand and together the four of them followed the steep path to the cave's mouth, to be plunged into darkness...


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20: BATHED IN SILVER**

Merlin wanted to see the cave through the innocent eyes of a child. He heard Treva say, "Wow!"

He smiled looking into the distance past the darkened mouth of the cave, at sunlight. The pond was still there with its little warm water spring. He let go of Treva's hand who then grabbed Henry's and the two of the raced to the shaft where the sunlight flooded the back of the cave.

He heard Henry say, "But, Treva, …how did Merlin do this?"

"I don't know but I would like him to do this in my bedchamber. It would be great..."

Merlin and Simon had followed the boys to the pond. The boys walked around it and Merlin told them to put their hands in the water. Two sets of surprised eyes glanced up at him.

"It's warm! How did you do that?" Treva wanted to know.

Arthur who had come up behind him explained briefly about hot springs. Henry took it all in and then said that his father had been in Aquae Sulis and had seen the Roman Baths. "Like the Roman roads but wet... " He explained to Treva, "They had hot water there and they didn't use fires at all."

Treva looked as if he was on the receiving end of teasing but Merlin added that it was true and that once they were older maybe he'd be allowed to go to Bath with Henry's family as Sir Graham's family originated from there.

"Why don't you look around the rest of the cave and choose which area you want to sleep in?" Arthur said. He was keeping a watchful eye on Merlin, he wanted to put his arm around him to support him as he knew that each time they came to the cave, the first hour was hard for him. This time however, the presence of the boys seemed to have steadied him.

"Did you have any trouble with horses?" He asked Spenser.

"No, once Favoury was in, the others all followed quite happily. There's plenty of room for all of them. The squires saw that they were all watered at the stream before brining them in.

Simon sauntered over to join them, "This has to be one of my favourite caves, don't get to use it often as it is so close to Camelot that we usually push on the three extra hours to reach home."

The ceiling in the entry of the cave was high but once you arrived in the cave proper, it soared up, higher even than the grand dining hall at Camelot. The graphite particles sparkled and the boys had assumed that they were stars.

"Don't know who else uses it but I appreciate the pile of branches which are always left inside the mouth of the cave. Certainly makes getting the fire going easier."

"People in our kingdom are always welcoming, even anonymously! Just as long as you remember..." Arthur laughed, "... As long as the squires remember to replenish the wood."

The squires were responsible for the fire. They set off to find extra wood. The fire would burn all night. The three of them would share equal parts of the night so that it would never go out. One would always be awake to keep it going.

"Can we go swimming?" said a little voice behind them.

Merlin looked at Arthur then smiled, "Sure, come on. Let's see how warm this water is!" The boys raced back to the pond.

"Paddle in first to see if it is warm enough. Then if you decide you want to swim, put you clothes on the rock over there out of the way. If they get wet, you'll be sorry."

The boys sat down and removed their boots, Cautiously, they walked into the pond and the smile on their faces told Merlin they'd decided to swim.

The pond was perfect for children it fell off gradually and it wasn't too deep.

Arthur glanced over at them and remembered how Gawaine and he had slipped Merlin's body into the warm water after he had been attacked. Even years after, he could feel his original fury against the instigators and his utter shock at what had transpired. He blinked and the sound of the children's laughter claimed him.

Merlin was up to his knees in the water and Arthur called out to him, "If you get soaked, you'll be in wet pants all night." Merlin shrugged grinning and Arthur laughed at him.

Making his way back to the entrance, Arthur checked that the horses were settled. All the tack had been piled against the opposite wall and the bedrolls were piled further into the cave around the fire.

The main cave had nooks and crannies around it making smaller sleeping ares. Arthur had already put Merlin's and his bedrolls in front of one. He'd told Simon and Spenser to lay claim to their choices before the boys heard that they could have their own. The squires would sleep around the main fire but usually smaller fires were set further back in the cave near the area chosen by the other sleepers. The chimney shaft carried away the smoke from these fires.

Simon wandered off the find Spenser and they decided to stay in one of the small caves together. It was close to the pond and Simon decided the sound of the waterfall would be relaxing. Spenser grinning at him punched him in the arm.

Merlin wasn't surprised to find out that they had decided to double up as well.

Treva and Henry decided to choose two little nooks which were side by side. "This will be my house and that can be yours. If we go in feet first, we will be like snails as we will be able to pop our heads out if anything happens."

That set Henry off, "Is something bad going to happen after we fall asleep?"

"I don't think so but it is a wild cave and maybe during the night wild animals might come in here to sleep..." Treva who had felt quite brave had now scared himself and said, "Though, maybe it would be better if we slept with Merlin and Arthur as they would know what to do if some wild boars or wolves came in."

Treva told Arthur that the cave was lovely but that they were unable to choose a little chamber for themselves. Merlin twigged immediately and suggested that as this was their first night in a cave that they should sleep with Arthur and him. The looks of relief on their faces made Arthur smile.

It was decided!

Treva and Henry would sleep next to Merlin and Arthur and the fire outside would help keep away any wild animals or monsters Henry decided.

"Can we explore the rest of the cave, Merlin?"

"Yes, but take Rhys with you and no climbing into tiny spaces..."

"...or you might get trapped and we'd have to leave you here," Arthur added.

For a second, even Treva believed him but then he threw his arms around Arthur and said, "You wouldn't because Merlin would be cross with you and then you'd feel bad and come to find me..."

Merlin grinned at Arthur, "Told you, when I realised we were coming in here that it would not be like old times."

"That's all right, tomorrow night, we'll be alone and you can remind me then what old times are like." Treva and Henry had gone to get Rhys; no one was watching and Arthur let his lips trace up the side of Merlin's neck.

"He's right, isn't he? You would have gone looking for him, for my sake, wouldn't you?"

Arthur slipped his arm around him and said, "Every time, Merlin…every single time!"

Simon wandered over, "Guess who, just happened to find a bottle of mead in his saddlebag?" He handed the bottle to Arthur who took a swig passing it to Merlin who shook his head.

"I'll pass, got to keep an eye on the kids."

Spenser joined them laughing saying, "All the more for us! Henry came to me to ask if I was going to share my little cave with Simon as there might be wild animals who owned the cave and would come back tonight!"

"That explains their decision to sleep with Arthur and me. What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I'd share with Simon and he nodded saying that that was a good decision. I thought so too!"

Simon looked across at him and grinned, "Out of the mouths of babes...!"

Later, Arthur was to say to him, "Simon and Spenser really get on well together don't they?"

Merlin had innocently nodded.

-0-0-

Checking the saddle bags resulted in a feast fit for a king. Chicken and pork, bread, cheese and for the children the added surprise of sweet rolls. It was pleasant sitting around the crackling fire.

The daylight no longer lit the pond but Arthur had told them if they were lucky with a full moon that they would get a surprise if they woke up in the night. He smiled remembering Merlin as he had stood gazing into the pond bathed in an ethereal gleam of moonlight. For a second, he wished that they were alone but family responsibilities often meant that you had to put your wishes aside for all the members of your family.

"You'd wake us wouldn't you?" A voice said bringing him out of his reverie.

"Of course, I would and I'd make you get out of your nice warm bedrolls and give you a lecture on the moon!"

Henry laughed, his father often used occasions like that to teach him things and he liked it. If he hadn't had his own mother and father, he would have been only too happy to have Arthur and Merlin look after him as they did Treva. At one point he had thought that Treva's real father was Merlin but Treva had one day told him that he had once had a brother called Kevin and another mother and father.

His mother Lady Henrietta had explained to him what had happened and he had sat on his parents' bed with tears running down his face. She had said, "If sometimes he seems a little sad, be kind to him. He's a very special boy just like you, he is loved very much and Merlin and Arthur wouldn't trade him for anything just like your father would never trade you or your baby sister Gretel."

Once the meal was finished, any extra food was packed away and Spenser picked up the scraps and threw them on the fire so as not to attract wild animals. They continued sitting around the fire talking of other caves they had spent nights in and Simon mentioned Cheddar Gorge and the spectacular underground river. The boys were very interested and Arthur said that if they went to Bath, they could visit Cheddar at the same time.

Merlin added, "…and buy some cheese to bring back for us!" He then explained how the farmers in the area made cheese and stored it in the caves to mature until it was ready to eat."

Spenser caught Merlin's eye then motioned with his head to Treva.

Merlin looked over at him, he seemed worried so he asked, "What's the matter? I thought you liked cheese."

"I do! But I don't have any money so I wouldn't be able to buy any to bring back to Camelot."

Everyone laughed and Arthur put his arm around his shoulder and said quietly, "Before you go to Cheddar, I will give you a little leather purse to tie on your belt and in it, I will put a silver coin for you to buy some cheese to bring back home."

Treva look relieved and at that point, Merlin said that he thought it was time for them to turn in.

"But we have 'to pick a tree' first!" said Treva smiling broadly.

"True," said Merlin, "As I don't want to be woken up during the night by anyone who needs to go outside to relieve themselves. Come on you two…Erik, take them outside and don't lose either of them as it would look very bad on your record if you lost the king's ward and Sir Graham's son."

Treva said, "If the horses can pee and poop in the cave, why can't we?"

"Because you are not a horse!" said Arthur. "Now out you go and hurry back."

"Can we share a tree?" asked Henry.

Merlin who had had it with trees said, "Yes…that would be a very good idea…"

"Yeah!" said Treva, "But I get to choose! This is more fun than chamberpots. They are all right for the winter but we maybe should always go outside during the spring, summer and autumn."

"…except in the middle of the night," said his partner in crime.

-0-0-

Peace finally descended on the cave. The boys were in their bedrolls and after a little whispering, silence fell on the cave except for the crackling fires. Firelight flickered making shadows on the wall.

Merlin said, "I wonder how often over the years people have used this place as a sanctuary. I wouldn't be surprised to learn if bodies have been buried in some of the chambers we have not yet explored."

Rhys smiled and said, "Thank goodness, you didn't mention that before we went exploring. Treva was trying to find buried treasure and Henry felt sure that a family lived here but since we had arrived, they had kept themselves hidden." He laughed, "Maybe in their own ways they were both close to the truth."

"Families live in the caves in the Gorge at Cheddar. They also even keep some of their livestock there during the bad winter weather." Arthur said, "Mind you, caves have no draughts and most of them are weather tight."

Simon said, "I wonder if in years to come people will know that there is an underground river there."

"I'm sure they will. It is such a perfect place to keep cheese that I can't see people moving away."

"I think I could happily be a cave dweller in this particular cave," Gregory said. "The availability of water and the little side chambers would make it prefect. You could even build a wall to separate the horses and other animals from the main living area.

"Well, we now know where to look for you if you ever go missing." said Erik.

" _Spelunca hominis Gregorius!"_ Merlin said punching Gregory in the arm while the others laughed.

Arthur stood up and went to walk away but returned to the squires who were still seated around the fire, "Would each of you as you are doing fire duty keep an eye on the chimney shaft as at certain times during the year the moon on a clear night shines down and fills the cave with moonlight.

"I give you full permission to wake me up as I'd like to get the youngsters up to see it." He walked away calling over to Simon and Spenser who were picking up their bedrolls, "Hope you sleep well and if the inhabitants of the caves disturb you during your dreams, tell them we'll be gone by tomorrow.

Merlin laughed aloud and followed him.

The three squires were still around the fire and Gregory said, "He was kidding about the former residents wasn't he?

The other two laughed and Rhys threw his bedroll at him. "Bag the first watch," he said, "I want to be asleep during the bewitching hour!"

"When is that? asked Gregory.

"During the watch you are going to get," said Erik with a grin and Rhys joined him laughing.

-0-0-

Arthur was dreaming of hiding in the cave from Merlin who found him and kicked his boot. He woke groggily and said, "Merlin?"

"No, Sire, it's me Gregory. The moon is out and the pond is all silver."

"Wake up Simon and Spenser, they'll want to see it too."

Merlin had been woken by Gregory walking into their rock chamber and smiled thinking, 'Let's see how easy it will be to get the boys to wake up.' He rolled over and looked at Treva who was cuddled into Henry. "Treva, come on the moon has come, wake up!"

Treva murmured something about trees and Merlin patted him on the shoulder saying, "Wake up, you'll miss the moon."

Arthur had an easier time waking Henry who stretched and like the good trooper he was, was immediately ready for whatever was at hand. Merlin got hold of Treva's hand and pulled him upright then as he seemed to still be half asleep and unable to figure out how to use his own legs carried him out into the main cave.

Arthur had been right. It was worth being awake in the middle of the night to see the far end of the cave bathed in silver with the pond reflecting the moon in its middle.

Treva by then awake walked forward and put his hand into the water making ripples which in turn made the moon seem alive. Henry clapped his hands and once the water was still he did the same thing.

Soon everyone was gathered around the pond, Arthur was able to slip his arm around Merlin's waist and whisper, "Do you remember now?"

"I'd never really forgotten. I was mesmerised by the light and hadn't wanted to disturb you so I just slipped out of my bedroll and stood on the rock watching the water."

"You gave me quite a shock when I rolled over and you weren't beside me. I was worried that you'd run off and that coming back to the cave was a bad idea on my part…and then I saw you."

Merlin said, "If we were alone, I would show you how I think that all the bad things which have happened in this cave are pushed well into the past…mostly by your actions on our first visit back. I love you, Arthur, I have never loved anyone else regardless of what might have happened to my body without my permission…" He could go no further as Arthur had claimed his lips.

Spenser said to Simon, "If they keep that up they'll have me climbing the wall." Checking that the squires were still fooling with the kids near the pond, and that he and Spenser were standing behind and slightly to the left of Arthur and Merlin, he slipped his arms up around Spenser's neck and kissed him.

Arthur's eye caught the movement and turned. "So that's how it is!" he said quietly to Merlin.

Merlin smiled, "Took you long enough to figure it out." Arthur gave him a hug as he said, "Bet they're not as happy as we are!"

"Well, they're working on it!" said Merlin with a laugh.

Arthur's chuckle broke the others apart and Treva came back to get Merlin's hand and grabbing Arthur's as well dragged him to the pond.

"You should get Sir Maldar to paint a picture of this as I want to remember it for always."

"You can," said Merlin, "It's in your mind and when you close your eyes, you will be able to remember it."

"That doesn't always work," said Treva sadly. "Sometimes I try to remember my brother Kevin and my sisters and it is as if they are here…" he said pointing to his temple, "…but behind a dirty window."

Merlin knelt beside the boy and putting his arms around him pulled him to him. He said seriously, "But they can see you very clearly and they love you very much especially your mother and your father."

"Can they see me? Really? Even when I am naughty?"

Merlin nodded but added, "…and they love you so much that when they see you being a little naughty because on the whole you are a very good boy, they just shake their heads and say, 'Boys will be boys,' and smile at each other."

"That's what Arthur says, I guess he learned it from you." Satisfied that everything on earth and above was in working order, he said, "Let's lie down and you can tell me a story of when I was little and I found you and Arthur…"

Merlin swept him up in his arms and said as he carried him back to their bed rolls, "One day, Arthur and I were in the forest…."

"…and you were hugging him…." Treva prompted.

"Yes, that's right and I felt a little boy holding onto my leg and guess who it was?"

"Me!" said Treva giving a very satisfied look at Henry who grinned back. He got onto his bedroll.

Arthur pulled the blanket around the two boys as Merlin continued, "Well, this little boy was lost and he needed someone to take care of him so…" He placed his hand on the boy's head.

"You and Arthur took me home…!" Treva then added for Henry's benefit, "Because my parents had been killed by bandits…" His eyes were getting heavy and he reached out for Merlin's hand as he fell asleep…

"Exactly," said Arthur, "…and it was the best decision which we have ever made."

Merlin turned to him and smiled.

"The best decision after telling you that I loved you…Merlin," said Arthur quietly with a smile.


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21: YEWDENE REVISITED**

Early the following morning, the group mounted up and descended back to the main road. Once there, they turned to continue in the same direction they had been going previous to their making the detour to the cave. Merlin was now certain that Yewdene was going to be their final destination.

He was pleased, the house was special to both Arthur and him. If he had to describe it he might have said, 'Safe haven, a home'. He would be happy to see it again. He glanced at Arthur who was looking at him quizzically and he nodded smiling, when Merlin said,"Yewdene?"

"I think Treva is at a perfect age to visit. He will be well received by the staff and I was his age when I first met Lady Imelda and Lord Hawley. I was thrilled with Geoffrey's father's collection of wild animals, all of them needing a little extra care to survive.

"The farmer had kept it up and I believe there is another fox in residence and a boar blinded as a baby by a hunting dog. Also something about baby squirrels and even bunnies and a ferret."

"Bet the last two don't get on too well together!" laughed Merlin. "I only hope that when we get back to Camelot that we are not begged to accept every little orphaned or damaged creature to form our own little animal sanctuary."

They stopped on the top of the hill above Yewdene and could glimpse the yellow stone manor house surrounded by trees. "We're going to stay in that yellow house?" Treva asked.

"Yes, if you are good other wise you will be staying in one of the farmers' thatched cottages."

Henry said, "Well, I intend to be good because I like the idea of living in a yellow house."

"Me too!" Treva added.

The boys were thrilled to see Randall and Thomas. They felt quite at home. They shared one of the larger chambers with Randall keeping an eye on them from the adjoining manservant's chamber.

Merlin and Arthur had the main bedchamber with its attached water closet, prompting Merlin to say, "Do you think that old wooden barrel tub is still in the house?"

"I'm sure it is. Why, are you intending to bathe in it?"

"No…well that hadn't entered my mind but it would be fun for the boys to see it and maybe swim in it. They'll have to use a stool and be helped to climb into it but half filled, I think it would be safe. Don't you?"

"Yes, but Randall must stay with them," said Arthur. "You can tell Thomas to make the arrangements for later this afternoon and maybe tomorrow, we might even decide to take advantage of it. This afternoon I want them to see the animals and let them play around outside. They'll be quite safe with the squires in attendance. We'll stay here tonight and tomorrow night and then go home. Let's go outside to see if there are still any golden fish in Lord Hawley's fish pond."

Everyone spent a relaxing afternoon at Yewdene. When Merlin mentioned the old barrel tub, the boys' eyes lit up and soon they were begging Randall to tale them to see it.

When it was time for them to have their supper in their own bedchamber, they were both very clean and finally dry. "Why can't you have one like this in your water closet?" Treva asked. "Henry and I could bathe in it instead of in a lower one. I think if I knew how to dive, I could have stood on the rim and dived in."

"If it had more water in it!" added the more sensible Henry.

Merlin thought that was an excellent reason why he had no intention of asking Arthur to reinstall one of the older tubs in their water closet that and the thought of being disturbed when the boys had their weekly baths.

Anyway the boys had their memories and that would have to suffice until the next time they came down to Yewdene. He laughed as he heard Henry suggest that next time they could invite their friends to see and use the tub.

-0-0-

Arthur had supper in the dining room with the two knights and Merlin,Thomas was serving assisted by Gregory. Once the main course was finished, Arthur told them they could leave as they would be able to manage anything else themselves.

They sat around the table reminiscing. Spenser and Simon had been to Yewdene on many occasions. It felt to them as if here, they could briefly shed the formality of their lives as they only did when they were in Camelot in private with Arthur and his closest knights.

There was something about the house which instilled peace. Arthur smiled at Merlin, they both felt the same way and were always torn when it came time to leave.

-0-0-

It was the second night of the full moon, such a clear night that the four of them had taken their drinks and a platter of sweetmeats made from honeyed fruits and light pastry into the solar which had been used by Geoffrey's mother the Lady Imelda. On sunny days, it seemed to pull the sun into the room through the mullioned windows which made-up its three sides. It was beautifully decorated in muted colours of greens, creams and beiges.

So different from the usual heavy rich colours used during that time. Arthur had insisted on the same colours in his solar in Camelot when he had renovated his father's chambers for Merlin and himself. Solars were the centre of family life for the wife and the children in a manor.

Candles and torches were costly and the people relied on the free gift of sunlight to brighten their days especially during the winter. Throughout the land, every day with sunshine was considered a gift from God. Families retired to bedchambers as the sun disappeared, rising again when it became light. The summer season gave them longer days but winter meant that majority of time was spent in bed. Rich people could extend their day by the use of candles and lamps but for the majority of people, lights out in reality meant that daylight had gone.

Merlin had marvelled when he first came to Camelot how the day's hours were extended by the use of candles, lamps and torches. Even Gaius had a good supply of candles and when he was called in the night to a patient, he was always accompanied by a servant carrying a flaming torch to light the way.

Once Merlin was used to the castle proper, he was surprised to learn that on the royal floor, torches burned in wall sconces all night even if no one was walking down the corridors. It had seemed to him wasteful but no one else remarked upon it and he finally accepted it. Gaius had explained that if every wall sconce was unused, men and women whose responsibility it was to trim and replace them as needed, would be out of a job and indirectly their families would suffer from lack of food. So would the servants who boiled the fat to make the oil and the men and women who collected rushes to make the torches. "You don't want to deprive those people of jobs, do you?"

In their royal bedchamber, besides the fire which gave off light during the cold nights, there was a lighted candle in an nightstand at the end of their bed. Merlin thought that was extravagant but wished that as a little boy his mother and he could have afforded to burn a candle all night especially on those nights when he was left alone in the pitch black as she went to deliver babies or stay with the sick and the dying.

Over the years, whenever he sent a supply package to her, he always remembered to include extra candles…

-0-0-

Merlin had made sure that Simon's chamber was comparatively close to Spenser's. He remembered that there was nothing more annoying that trying to find someone's chamber in a strange house in the middle of the night.

Merlin smiled to himself, remembering once staying as a servant three doors down from Arthur then still a prince, while they were in Mancunium. He had waited until there was no more noise from the corridor. Holding his candle, he'd used his knife to make a little nick on the door frame so that he could easily identify his own door in the subdued light when he would be returning before dawn. Thinking that he had counted correctly, he'd opened the third door down and slipped quietly into Arthur's bedchamber. It had only been at the bedside seeing an enormous mound under the covers that he'd realised he was in the wrong chamber.

The sleeper has been disturbed and leering at him had said, "Well, this must be one of the perks which Lord Touran has spoken about!" He had rolled over pulling back his covers and had grabbed for Merlin who had jumped back and hightailed it out of the room.

In his panic, he'd turned the wrong way and had reached the stairs. His heart had been thumping in his chest and he'd stood still for a moment. He then had crept back touching all the door frames until he'd found the one with the double nick and had let himself back into his own chamber.

He'd stood with his back to the wall as his heart slowed. He had no intention of sleeping alone when he knew that Arthur would be waiting for him. He'd cautiously let himself back into the corridor a second time and had walked along carefully counting out three doors. He had stood outside the door before lifting the latch before gingerly putting one foot into the room.

The fire illuminated the chamber and Merlin had been relieved to see Arthur sitting up in bed.

"Good God! I'd almost given up on seeing you tonight. What happened, Merlin? Don't tell me you had another tryst before coming here?"

Merlin had grinned and ran for the bed, his feet were cold and all he could think of was warming them against Arthur's legs. "As if…! No, I got lost!"

The look on Arthur's face had been for Merlin worth the whole excruciating previous half hour. He'd got out of his clothes and slipped under the covers. "I went into the wrong chamber and I think it was Lord Belcher's. I was at the bedside when he woke up and grabbed for me I ran out turned the wrong way and was back at the main staircase."

"Dirty old bugger!" Arthur had said laughing, "I'll teach him to keep his hands to himself."

"Well, he said that he thought I might have been one of the perks which Sir Touran had spoken about when staying here." Merlin had grinned before added, "Arthur, unless you can guarantee my safety from lecherous old men, I think that maybe it would be better when your father sends you on one of your visits, that I stay safely at Camelot with Gaius"

Arthur had laughed suggesting, "Or we should only visit houses which provide adjoining accommodation for manservants?" Before adding, "Come here, I know what will take thoughts of cold corridors and lechers out of your mind."

-0-0-

Merlin smiled, remembering the kissing and the cuddling which in turn had led to something very pleasant.

Arthur looked at him and said, "Care to share what has put such an adorable look on your face?" Merlin looked up startled to see that he was at the dinner table in Yewdene.

"Come on, Merlin, tell us what you were thinking about?" Spenser insisted.

…and so, Merlin launched into his Mancunium story and was rewarded with Arthur laughing loudly as he remembered and Simon glancing shyly at Spenser and wondering if they too would have similar stories to tell in years to come.

Arthur was in a good mood and turning to the others said to Spenser his friend of many years, "…and I hope that your and Simon's chambers are not too far distance."

Spenser who had been waiting for so long for Arthur to acknowledge their relationship said formally, "No Sire, they are perfectly located and I believe Thomas under the guidance of Merlin took care of that." He added with a big grin, "Thank you for your concern."

Merlin laughed and Simon smiled still a little unsure of how Arthur was going to react to Spenser's words. He needn't have worried as Arthur smiled at Simon saying, "I'm glad that you and my old friend are so happy. You seem perfectly suited. I hope that you will always be as happy as Merlin and I."

Later as they cuddled in bed, Merlin said, "That was very kind, what you said to Spenser and Simon."

"Well, I saw that Spenser seemed happier than he has been for years and I realised what was going on. Simon is the perfect choice for him. Honestly, Merlin I'm surprised that you didn't figure it out first, what with how you are always so attuned to people's emotions."

Merlin though to himself, 'Forgive me for this white lie!' as he said aloud, "Well, you saw it first this time!"

-0-0-

The moon was bright; moonlight flooding their bedchamber, bathing it in a cool white light. They lay beside each other engrossed in their own thoughts.

Arthur spoke first, "Damned visitors! I'd be quite happy to stay here forever."

Merlin took his hand and held it, knowing that once they got back, Arthur would step up to the plate and act the gracious if maybe slightly distant host. He felt a little apprehensive about this visit but the group of knights accompanying the Montbus family would be small and had never in the past caused any trouble beyond being dull and unimaginative.

-0-0-

The following day flew by. The boys, Randall and the squires walked up to the waterfall above the manor and took the tour through the gorge and its partial caves. The ended up near the shepherd's thatch and were invited in for a lunch of mutton pie, cheese and fresh bread baked by the shepherd's wife. Randall reported afterwards that the outing had been a great success and that the squires seemed to have enjoyed themselves as much as the young Treva and Henry.

Early that evening there was no moon only heavy dark clouds. Treva and Henry ate again in their own chamber with Randall while the squires were fed in the kitchens. The housekeeper's son offered to take them to the local pub and they arrived back at Yewdene drenched as the rains had come.

The rains were accompanied by intermittent thunder and lighting. It was a celestial show and Arthur sent word for Randall to bring the boys down for a treat. Randall arrived with the two boys wrapped in blankets. Treva climbed on Arthur's lap and Merlin put his hand out to pull Henry onto his. There was only firelight in the solar and the heavens put on a sublime display.

However, even the thunder was unable to keep the boys awake. They were exhausted by their day's exercises. Arthur felt Treva relax and his head slip back so it was resting on his shoulder, then finally tucked under his chin. He knew by his breathing that he had fallen asleep.

Merlin glanced over to him and thought how special Arthur looked holding the sleeping boy on his lap. He checked Henry, who said, "Merlin, I don't think I can keep my eyes open anymore."

"That's all right, I'll carry you to bed." Soon Henry too was dead to the world.

Randall offered to carry Henry but Merlin said, "No, I can manage him and the king and his beloved manservant made their way to the bedchamber and lay the two sleeping children on the bed. Randall covered them with more blankets saying, "What time will we be leaving, Sire? I have a feeling they will be sleepy heads tomorrow morning."

Arthur glanced down at Treva and smiled, he realised that he loved this boy as much as he could have loved one of his own kids. "Probably around noon, I have no desire to reach Camelot!"

Randall nodded and busied himself stoking up the fire as Merlin said quietly to Arthur, "Once when I lost a pebble which I really cherished my mother said that one man's loss is another man's gain. That's how I feel about Treva, his parents' loss has blessed our lives."

Arthur turned and kissed Merlin's cheek, "If only they could always be so quiet…" he said looking at the sleeping children and he smiled.

-0-0-

The return trip to Camelot was uneventful. The boys chatted quite happily with Henry telling Treva how excited he was as he could tell his mother about all the things which had happened.

Merlin noticed that Treva seemed a little down and later asked him if everything was all right. He said that as he had been with Arthur and him and Randall, he had no one to tell about all the animals and the fun he had had.

"But Gaius needs to know about what happened."

"I thought you said that he had often been a Yewdene?"

Merlin thought before saying more quietly, "Well, Gaius is quite old and I'm sure that he has forgotten half of what he saw so it would be a kindness on your part to remind him of all the wonderful things about being there."

That seemed to satisfy the boy and later on he heard him tell Rhys that he wanted to get home as he was excited as he had to tell Gaius about his trip.

They took a break giving the boys a chance to stretch their legs and to water the horses. Arthur seemed in no hurry to get back to Camelot. The group sat beside a little waterfall eating lunch which the cook at Yewdene had insisted packing for them. Simon said that he would have put on weight if he had stayed any longer as the meals were so good and he was always surprised at the choices available.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that you get extra training routines this week," said Arthur grinning as he stood up.

They mounted for the final hour's ride to Camelot. The weather stayed clear but not Arthur's mood as the closer he got to Camelot the darker his feelings became. Merlin noticed and smiled as brave and as strong Arthur was he didn't accept change easily, especially if it meant dealing with unwelcome guests in his castle.

Later, as he was riding beside Arthur, Merlin mentioned his conversation with Treva.

Arthur laughed saying, "That's all right as long as Treva doesn't mention that you told him that Gaius's memory was failing."

"Maybe, I had better give Gaius the heads up. But he's so lovely with children that I am sure that he'd listen quietly, prompting if necessary and adding words of encouragement as needed."

Arthur smiled as Merlin was actually describing himself. Children were drawn to him and Arthur had on occasions felt slightly jealous at the ease with which Merlin seemed to deal with everyone, adults and children. He himself had never had much contact with children and often felt more confident facing a knight barrelling down the lists with lance aimed at his chest than having to speak with a child. He knew he'd improved since Treva's arrival but he wished he had the same ease as Merlin when dealing with these little people.

They allowed the boys shouting and screaming in delight, to race ahead of them across the field below the castle. Merlin telling them to wait for the adults before entering the lower town.

Camelot looked very welcoming and the squires were looking forward to being home and regaling their friends with the delights of Yewdene and again feeling special as they had been chosen to accompany the king and his ward on a few days of rest and respite.

Spenser was relieved that Arthur not only knew about his relationship with Simon but that he had accepted it and hadn't flown into a rage or said anything negative.

Merlin was happy that everyone had enjoyed themselves and arrived safely back home. He knew that the next couple of days would be difficult with Arthur but once they settled back into routine of having visitors in the castle he would come around and be easier to live with.

Randall took over the boys as Merlin said, "Now, don't go boring everyone with tales of Yewdene!"

Henry looked at him seriously saying, "But we weren't bored not one bit, it was a great adventure." He then walked over to Arthur and said formally, "Thank you, Sire, for inviting me to accompany Treva and you on a wonderful holiday."

Arthur smiled at the youngster, Lady Henrietta was doing a very good job raising her son. He said, "You are always welcome to come with Treva and tell your mother that you were a perfect gentleman and not an ounce of trouble." Arthur bent over and ruffled the lad's hair.

The little boy beamed up at Arthur and said, "Thank you, Sire!"

Merlin walked up the stairs saying, "That was a very kind thing to say to him."

"Nothing but the truth," replied Arthur.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22 : NOT WORTH THE AIR THEY BREATH**

Thomas who had ridden ahead of them to Camelot had had time to get the coppers heated and hot water ready should Arthur want to bathe. There would be a welcoming dinner for the visitors in the grand hall but that was still a few hours away.

Arthur decided to take advantage of the hot water and went into the water closet. Merlin popped his head in to check what he wanted to wear, Arthur who was relaxing in the hot water said, "You choose but wear something special yourself. We can pull out all the stops to impress. How about that navy blue outfit that shows off your attributes so well?"

Merlin laughed, "What…and have Gawaine and half the knights of Camelot sizing me up all night?"

"Have to give him credit, the man knows a good body when he sees one!"

Merlin who had just rinsed his neckerchief in cold water, turned and threw it at Arthur, it caught him mid chest and earned Merlin a squawk. He swung back but not fast enough and had been a little too trusting and felt himself being pulled towards the bath and before he knew it, the back of his knees hit the rim and he toppled backwards on top of Arthur.

He shook his head to clear the water out of his eyes and turned to glare at Arthur who had been dunked in the process and had a head full of soapy water and rivulets of the same, running down over his ears and face. He was however laughing and Merlin couldn't help but forgive him. Once he got over the fact that he was fully clothed and felt waterlogged by his woollen trousers and tunic, he too started to laugh.

"You might as well have a bath too. Get out of those clothes…" Merlin heaved himself out of the bath and made to walk towards the door but Arthur stopped him saying, "Where are you going? You'll drip over everything and then the floor will also be wet. Humour me! Strip off here, so I can enjoy the sights."

Merlin gave Arthur the finger and then grinned. He slowly and deliberately removed every stitch of clothing, a routine he highlighted with questions, "Well, hello there! Come here often…?" He laughed and added, "Like what you see? Going straight home afterwards…?"

Arthur commented inappropriately to each of Merlin's challenges and then Arthur lay back grinning, if only their guests could see Merlin now, he was sexy and playful and Arthur thanked his lucky stars that he was his. At times, he made Arthur's life worth living.

Merlin carefully wrung out his soaked trousers making Arthur laugh, "Merlin, they're wet just throw them in the corner, Thomas can take care of them tomorrow."

"I'll have you know these are my favourite pants and tunic, you might have plenty of changes but I have to be careful with these."

Arthur laughed, "That might have worked on me a couple of years ago, but I know you have lots of different clothes but it's your choice to keep to the old styles."

"Well, I'm comfortable in them, they fit my body like a caress."

Arthur nearly choked as he said, "Come here, I'll show you how nicely my caress fits your body."

Merlin glanced at the window and saw that the height of the sun allowed them a few hours of fooling around before needing to get dressed. He ran some more hot water into the tub and slipped in…

-0-0-

Arthur finally released Merlin and smiled, "You've made my life complete. I think you still excite me as you did when you were a sixteen year old."

"Well, apart from the fact that I didn't meet you until I was almost eighteen, Old Man, I'll take that as a compliment."

Arthur promptly slid under the water pulling Merlin down with him. Spluttering to the surface, he continued laughing, "Who would have thought you could have so much fun in a bath? Do you think Spenser and Simon bathe together?"

"You, Arthur, have a one track mind! If we don't move soon, you'll be meeting your guests with wet hair as will your trusted manservant. Remember, I'll be back in that guise for the duration of their visit."

Arthur stood up saying, "What the eye doesn't see, the heart cannot grieve! Anyway, is it any business of theirs as to whom the king beds?"

"Fine with me...as long as it is only me!" Merlin retorted.

"That I can vouch for with certainty."

-0-0-

One hour later, Arthur suitably attired as a royal host entered the receiving room, followed three steps behind by Merlin. The senior knights and the royal guests were there.

Arthur graciously walked forward and greeting King Peter of Montbus and his wife Queen Zaerian, then his son Paul and wife Rosann. As the Princess Petra curtsied before him with her eyes downcast, playing the gracious host, Arthur bent forward, taking her hand to help her up. She stood and raised her eyes to Arthur's face and he smiled his welcome.

Neither Merlin nor Arthur noticed the look which passed between King Peter and his son but Gaius did.

Once all the introductions had been completed, the group turned to make their entrance into the hall. The main table was decorated with flowers and fresh fruits. Arthur took his customary seat while the visiting king Peter sat on his right while the queen sat on Arthur's left. The Princess Petra sat beside her father with Crown Prince next to his mother. Sir Geoffrey of Monmouth was beside the Princess Petra and Sir Rupert as the Senior Knight sat beside Prince Paul's wife Rosann.

The servants stood behind their masters or mistresses. The royal table would be served by the most experienced staff and squires would help them. The rest of the visitors were seated at the two large side tables.

The main table was open on one side but the other tables had guests seated opposite each other. It was a fine feast, not maybe as spectacular as yuletide but suitably impressive for the visitors. The food was paraded in and presented first to the top table. There was an abundance of wine and mead. To begin with, the conversation was muted but soon rose in volume as people relaxed and enjoyed their meal.

Merlin standing three steps behind Arthur's chair could hear him making general dinner conversation. He had asked after Peter's grandsons who were travelling with them but not present at the table.

"They, are the joy of my life," the old king conceded. "Growing in spurts as young boys do, hard to imagine but Demetrius is ready to be trained as a squire."

Arthur nodded remaining noncommittal, in any other situation, he would have mentioned that maybe King Peter might entertain sending the boy to Camelot for training but something stopped him. He didn't want to be any closer to this family than necessary. He then turned to his left and spoke briefly to the queen.

"I hope that everything is to you liking. Do not hesitate to request anything of the Lord Chamberlain. He is at your beck and call."

She smiled her thanks and said, "Everything is wonderful, your Majesty." She fell silent and he then turned back to the visiting king. He'd done his bit and if needed, her son could talk to her.

"We will be having meetings with various knights and council members in the upcoming weeks and if that interests you, I would by happy for you to attend."

"Thank you, Arthur. Your father allowed me to sit in on his council meetings as well. Our families have known each other for a long time, it is good to get together in person."

Arthur soon became bored with the conversations, he concentrated on eating. The food he had to admit was excellent, he must remember to send a message to the kitchen staff especially the cooks. His eyes wandered over the gathering of guests and picked out an area where he would have preferred to be sitting. At the end of the table, his friends Gawaine and Spenser were in deep conversation and Rook was obviously entertaining the others with some tale or other.

He felt something brush against his elbow and he brought his thoughts back to his own table, Merlin was bending over filling up the Queen's wine goblet. He turned and said to Arthur, "Sire, would you care for more wine?"

Arthur shook his head but then changed his mind, he knew that the mead container on the table was empty and that would mean that Merlin would have to return to the side board and get a container. He watched him walk across the room. He decided that his trousers fitted perfectly. He was glad that he had insisted that he change again before they left. He wanted him to stand out as the most important member of staff after the Lord Chamberlain.

Merlin picked up the flask and went to return to the main table but Gawaine called him over and Merlin stopped briefly. Arthur could tell that even at that distance by the smiles and looks which his knights gave him, that Gawaine had probably commented inappropriately on Merlin's attire. Merlin turned blushing and trying to hide a grin, walked toward Arthur.

King Peter said, "Your manservant is very attractive, seems to be popular with the knights. I'd stop that if I were you. Familiarity breeds contempt."

Arthur was slightly shocked that the king should have been so intent on his manservant. So, he said flippantly, "You know that he's been with me for years, he knows all the knights and they like him."

"Yes, I remember how Uther often used to bemoan the fact that you hadn't a more experienced man looking after you."

Arthur began to get annoyed how dare his father discuss Merlin with the man beside him. However, he said calmly, "I can assure you that Merlin is sufficiently experienced to take care of all my needs. He is honest, trustworthy and capable. You could hardly ask for more in a manservant," he turned and looked directly at the king, "Could you?"

Nodding King Peter said, "By the time you get to my age, you will have gone through many menservants. They don't last forever."

Arthur clenched his jaw as he had been about to say, 'Well, I hope this one does!' He however agreed with the king saying, "One of these days I will probably get rid of him but he's fine for now." Arthur thought, 'Forgive me, Merlin, as this old coot is getting to me.'

Not letting things rest, the king said, "I found the best time to get a new man was once I got married. A married man seemed to be more at ease with my wife and her maidservant was also married.

"When I was betrothed my wife's father insisted that I had a married manservant. It was considered more…" he winked, "… _r_ _eliable_ than an unmarried man. I found another manservant of whom my future father-in-law approved. You will probably be requested to do the same."

Playing along, Arthur said, knowing that Merlin who was once again standing behind him was probably listening to the conversation, "Well, marriage is not in my immediate future so Merlin will suit me until then. I was just wondering, didn't you think to stand up to your future father-in-law to keep your old manservant?"

"To keep the peace, I let him go. He was after all only a servant and they are a penny a dozen," the old king laughed, "Aren't they?"

Arthur, refrained from commenting. He clicked his fingers and Merlin materialised at his elbow. "Merlin, if I were to bring a queen into the castle, do you think I should fire you and hire a married man?"

Playing along, Merlin said, "Sire, that would be a decision you alone should make!" He shifted his weight so that his knee brushed Arthur mid thigh saying, "After all...I am only a servant and as such of little importance or value." Bowing and saying, "Sire!" he withdrew to his place behind Arthur's chair.

Arthur tried to contain his laughter as King Peter leant over saying, "Well, there's one man who knows his position in life."

Smiling as if in agreement, Arthur remembered what happened behind closed door and said, "He certainly does!"

Arthur was spared from listening to the king any more as Sir Rupert stood up and asked for silence.

-0-0-

Arthur listened as Rupert droned on, giving an abbreviated history of the ties between the two royal families. King Peter beamed and nodding in approval through the whole speech. On behalf of Camelot, Rupert welcomed the visiting family, mentioning each one by name, then he said, "For the Love of Camelot!" The knights stood and answered.

Gaius looked on remembering how excited Arthur had been the first time the joint response had happened when he was present, the five year old had clapped his hands. He had later told him that he was sad when they hadn't done it a second time as he knew the words and wanted to yell just like the knights. Gaius had laughed and promised him that next time, he could.

The dinner continued until finally Arthur and King Peter stood, Arthur inviting him to join him in a council meeting the following afternoon. They shook hands then the Montbus contingent left the grand hall.

Once the group had left, Arthur sat at the table and commented to Geoffrey, "One down and what is it, fifteen odd dinners to go?"

"Maybe, this will be the final year of his visits. He's an unobtrusive man but annoying all the same. Mind you, this year he seems more animated than usual."

Arthur nodded, "If I didn't know him better, I would think that he has something to ask me. Hope he doesn't intend to challenge the arrangements between us and ask for more contact for his family. I felt that he was hinting that he'd like to have his oldest grandson admitted as a squire-in-training but that's not going to happen in my lifetime."

Merlin came up to them and Arthur smiled, "Gaius would have been proud of your responses." He turned to Geoffrey saying, "The king showed his true feelings about servants and Merlin played along admirably."

Nodding at Sir Geoffrey, Merlin added, "The King seemed more talkative this evening, wonder what he has up his sleeve?"

"Well, whatever it is, doubt that any of us will find it of any interest. I'm ready to turn in. Thank you Geoffrey for being involved. I promise I'll find someone else to babysit her royal highness the princess at the next dinner."

Geoffrey laughed, "The food made it worth the aggravation. The princess's conversational skills are well rehearsed however, I feel that there is little beyond that. She's attractive so I'm surprised she isn't adorning the arm of some young lord." He stood bowed and said, "Goodnight, Sire!"

Geoffrey left to return to his quarters near the library and Arthur bid the others goodnight. Merlin and he walked upstairs and the chamber door was opened by Thomas who said, "A pleasant evening, Sire?"

"Not really," Arthur said, "More like a waste of time! I won't be needing you anymore tonight and there is no training tomorrow morning so, breakfast midmorning, please."

Thomas bowed pleased to be getting off early and also the promise of a lie in the following day, appealed to him. "Goodnight, Sire!"

Once the door closed, Merlin said, "What was the king on about? He was more talkative about his personal life than I have ever remembered."

Arthur shook his head, "…and we have another fifty-odd days to look forward to. God help me, Merlin. I'd go mad having to sit through a dinner like that every night. Glad though, that you enjoyed his words about servants and their places in castle life. Now, how about you be a good boy and climb into bed so that by the time I'm ready to join you, the sheets will be warm!"

Seeing Merlin's doublet come flying across the room, Arthur ducked adeptly and it missed him. "Oh, so you want to play hard to get do you?" he said

-0-0-

While Arthur and his council were in session, Merlin had introduced Treva and Henry to Demetrius and Darius the grandsons of Kind Peter. Randall had already reminded Treva to be gracious as they were visitors and also young princes.

Why haven't I heard of their kingdom? Treva asked. "Are they allies of Camelot?"

Randall explained briefly that the boys' grandfather and his family were acquaintances of Arthur and as such must be treated with respect. He also explained to Treva that as the King's Ward, he would be acting like a host welcoming them as guests to the castle.

The two Montbus boys got on well with Treva and Henry. They went out riding with two squires and played around the castle courtyard when the boys were not at school with the other pages. Treva was impressed that the following year the older boy Demetrius was old enough to begin his training as a squire.

Treva even suggested that the boys join them in their lessons as pages but Merlin had shaken his head at that and Randall had later explained to Treva that the boys had their own tutors who had travelled with them.

One rainy day, the four of them were playing in a room at the end of the portico and somehow living in the castle came up. Demetrius asked if Treva liked living in Camelot.

Henry said, "Why wouldn't he, it's his home?"

"But he wasn't born here and he's only been here since King Arthur made him his ward, hasn't he?"

Treva spoke up and said, "Yes, I like living here, everyone is kind,the squires are fun and Arthur and Merlin are special."

Demetrius said surprised, "Merlin? But he's only a manservant. The king can be special, yes but how can a manservant be special? My father says that servants are of no importance or worth and so does my grandfather and he knows because he's a king."

Henry wasn't going to be left out so he added, "Merlin _is_ special…so there!"

Darius stood up as if to shove Henry and defend his brother but Demetrius put a hand on his shoulder and he sat down again as Demetrius continued, "So, was it easy settling in the castle?"

Treva glanced down, he was confused by the whole conversation and said, "I can't remember…"

Randall walked in asking if anyone would like to go to the kitchens and see if the cook had baked something special. The mood changed and everything became normal again except that Henry every now and again kept shaking his head as if he were trying to figure something out.

-0-0-

Demetrius began to pay special attention to what was going around him. Basically, he should have been termed a sneak. He had always been sly and now he watched and listened intently, he knew there was something up but had not as yet found out what was being secretly discussed between his grandfather and his father.

He picked up odd phrases and as a thirteen year old tried to make sense of them. The words, well suited and well settled were often mentioned. To him suited referred to clothes and how well a horse and a rider got on together. Well settled, he knew meant finding somewhere to live or arriving in a new place to live. Maybe his grandfather was going to move and build another castle.

He hoped the next one was going to be large like Camelot. He liked living here and having his own bedchamber and manservant. At home he shared not only a room with Darius but also an old women who had been their babysitter and was now their chambermaid.

He wanted a manservant like Randall. Actually, he thought that he really wouldn't mind having Arthur's manservant as he seemed interesting and certainly Treva and Henry liked him. Yes, that was what he would do, take over Merlin as his manservant and make him do menial tasks and not let the other boys see him ever again.

The best piece of information he had gleaned was when Lord Willis his father's companion told his wife who was the companion of Princess Petra that if everything went as planned 'that nuisance Treva will be of little importance!'

He hadn't a clue what it meant but he made himself remember because as they were whispering it must have been very special. He decided against asking his father about it in case it was really secret and then his father in turn would be more careful talking in front of him…

Something was in the wind which involved his grandfather, something which might turn out to be exciting and the thirteen year old intended to find out what.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23 : A WALK IN THE GARDEN**

One evening during a formal dinner, King Paul asked Arthur if they could maybe meet the following day to discuss private matters. Possibly away from nosey ears by walking in the private gardens usually reserved for the Ladies of the Court.

Arthur was rather taken aback as usually matters of importance were discussed in the throne room with representatives of both sides present. He figured it concerned the squireship of the grandson and agreed to the meeting.

It was a clear cool morning as the two kings and their menservants entered the gardens.

King Paul turned immediately and stated that he wished to be alone with Arthur and for the menservants to stay near the lychgate leading onto the gravelled paths. Arthur nodded and Merlin fell back. As long as Arthur didn't leave the garden, Merlin saw no cause for alarm. He did however intend to eavesdrop. He would never repeat what he heard and if Arthur should ever mention anything to him, he would seem suitably interested.

For a second, he wondered if Gaius would approve, maybe as he decided that he didn't intend to take any action regardless as to what was discussed, that he would tune in to their voices and remain void of any expression. He only hoped that the Montbus manservant wouldn't want to chatter.

Merlin could hear King Peter remarking on the autumnal plantings, Arthur had replied, that the Ladies seem to enjoy the flowers and he was only to happy to provide staff to take care of the area. They walked down the main path and circled the stone fountain which contained fish.

"My beloved Petra only yesterday remarked to my dear Zaerian how beautiful these gardens were. She appreciates the pretty things in life. She is treasured by both us and is a very dutiful daughter."

Arthur nodded absent mindedly wondering if any herons ever flew into the gardens at dawn or dusk to steal the fish from the ornamental ponds. He'd check with Merlin as he knew things like that. He smiled softly thinking about Merlin. He would have preferred his company than that of his present companion.

Without any ado, King Paul said, "Arthur, your father and I had often talked about uniting our two families."

'Shit!' thought Arthur, 'Talk about coming to the point without any preamble.' He turned to the king and said levelly, "…and what exactly had my father in mind?"

"Well, you are a virile young man and my daughter comely, well educated in the workings of the court and well presented…and I was thinking that maybe an alliance might be in our future."

Merlin sputtered, the other manservant Gould, turned to him and asked if he was all right. He nodded and said, "Allergies!" Not wanting to miss anything.

"Uther always though Petra would be suitable for you but I presume, he never mentioned it when he was alive…"

'Well, he wasn't likely to say anything after he was dead…' Merlin thought. He could now see Arthur as they were walking back towards the porch on the outer circle of paths.

The king continued, "She is a suitable age to present you with heirs. Our families would be united and it would be a strengthening bond. You don't have to decide right now, but I believe that if you think it over, you will see the benefits. Papers could be drawn up and your advisors could see them, adding to them anything which you feel is necessary."

Merlin send out a message to Arthur, "Don't commit to anything!"

As if he had heard him, Arthur said, "I think I will have to take this suggestion under consideration. I had no intentions of getting married…and raising a family."

"However, you do need an heir, I know Uther would have expected it of you. Can't have the family line just dying out and your ward is no relation. Battles would ensue upon your death and this beautiful kingdom will be torn apart village by village. If you had an heir, at least he would have been raised to know his duties and he could take over."

Merlin could see that Arthur was getting annoyed but controlling it remarkably. Not unlike he used to do with Uther when they argued. His back was straight, he had his eyes downcast but it was his clenched fists that gave it away. If only King Paul had glanced at him instead of into the distance where his dreams were becoming a reality or so he thought, he might have realised that his announcement had not in any way appealed to Arthur.

The two kings walked towards the lychgate, both menservants standing aside and allowing them to pass. Merlin kept his feelings to himself and only briefly glanced at Arthur as he passed.

The guards who had been standing on the other side of the gates, stepped forward and led the group back to the main courtyard.

They had no sooner left the portcullis when a voice called, "Merlin!" Arthur stopped and saw Treva, Henry and a nursemaid with a child in arms walking across the courtyard. Treva left them and made a beeline for Merlin.

Merlin realising that Treva had not recognised the royal guest kept his arms at his side but held his hands up to stop any display of affection which might indirectly have caused Arthur embarrassment.

Treva immediately slowed his headlong race and stood quietly, watching Merlin whom he knew would tell him what to do. However, it was Arthur who called him over and placing a hand on the boy's shoulder said to the king, "I would like to introduce to you my ward, Trevor Harold Lord De Vire." Arthur continued, "Treva, this is King Peter of Montbus he is the grandfather of Demetrius and Darius whom you already know."

Treva as was expected of him, bowed from the waste and said, "Your Majesty!"

Arthur smiled at him and beckoned over Henry, "And this is Henry, son of Sir Graham and Lady Henrietta with whom you dined last week."

The king nodded and smiled as Henry also bowed and said, "Your Majesty"

Merlin felt that the Ladies of the Court were doing a good job training the pages and was pleased that the boys seemed so at ease.

"And I believe the baby in the arms of the nursemaid is Henry's little sister Gretel. Am I not right, Henry?" Arthur said.

"Yes, Sire, we are going for a walk in the gardens and then to the kennels to see a new litter of hounds."

Treva said, "If I'm very good, Arthur Sire, can I choose one just for me. Henry and I would like that very much, wouldn't we, Henry?" Henry nodded.

"Arthur, I think Treva is a perfect age to have his own hound. Have you any idea what you might call it," King Peter asked.

Merlin was impressed, the man knew how to talk to children so he couldn't be all bad or could he?

Treva thought then said, "Your Majesty, I was going to call it Falcon after Merlin but now I think I should call it a royal name like Rex."

King Peter laughed and Arthur said, "On your way now and don't get into trouble." Both boys bowed as they were dismissed.

As the boys and the nursemaid crossed the courtyard, King Peter said, "I'd heard that my grandsons were playing with your ward. He is charming, you must be very proud of him."

Without going into details which he was sure that King Peter had already checked, he said, "I am! He had a rough time to begin with. My manservant Merlin gained his confidence and he has made great strides since then."

-0-0-

As Merlin and Arthur mounted the stairs to the small dining hall where they were to eat with a few of the knights. Merlin said, "I was so proud of Treva, he takes everything in stride. He's getting more like you day by day."

Arthur looked serious and said, "Merlin, he's not related to me. No matter how like me he is, he will not inherit my kingdom."

Merlin said, "What brought that on? I was only saying that I was proud of him nothing more. What's made you so jumpy?"

"If you had been with me in the garden you would understand. After lunch, I will tell you the wonderful pipe dreams which our friend has!"

Lunch was relaxing and Merlin could see that Arthur was enjoying the company of his friends. What he had heard in the garden kept floating around his mind. Arthur did need an heir so possibility the chance to marry a royal princess made sense. Arthur and he had never discussed the future of Camelot and maybe it was time to do so.

Gawaine said, "Merlin, you're miles away. What are you planning, you have the look of a man at the edge of a crevasse who can't decide if he should jump or turn and fight?"

"He doesn't look that desperate," said Simon, "More like whether he should wear his blue or his red neckerchief."

Arthur and the other knights laughed so Merlin said, "Just wondering how happy Randall will be if Treva as planned brings a puppy back from the kennels."

The conversation dissolved into first dogs and the fun they had been and how involved each knight had been with his dog. Spenser confessed, that he had never had a dog of his own as his brother Piers had had one who had completely destroyed one of his mother's favourite hand-embroidered cushions and when he had asked for his own dog, his father Lord Rodney had supported his wife's decision when she had said, 'One dog in the family was sufficient.'

Arthur was miles away. Piers had been his best friend. He remembered the dog Tuffer. When he had once asked for a dog, Uther had said, 'No! You have a kennel full of hounds at your disposal; why do you want a dog living in the castle?'

He was willing for Treva to get a dog but it was not to be as the litter was full of bitch puppies and Treva said he'd wait as Rex was a name for a boy.

-0-0-

Arthur was surviving the visit due to good scheduling and the generosity of the senior knights who took over entertaining the king. If King Peter ever noticed the infrequency of his meals with Arthur, he had said nothing.

As the weather was holding and the castle kitchens were always in need of being replenished, Arthur decided to hold a hunt and invite his guests and their knights. It would be a two day event and the hunting lodge would accommodate the guests and staff.

King Paul excused himself from the outing as he claimed that his elderly joints ached and he would be better remaining at the castle instead of occupying a place which could be taken by an able bodied man. He gave his blessing for his son and his grandson Demetrius to attend. Seeing the excitement in the boy's eyes, he had a change of heart and agreed that if it were not too physically demanding that he might reconsider joining them.

In the end, three members of the Montbus family and three knights would accompany Arthur who planned to take, Gawaine, Rhydian, Simon and Spenser and Gavin.

Two days previous, staff had left to set up the hunting lodge and carry in provisions. Thomas had offered to go to arrange Arthur's quarters but Merlin had said that he would see to them once they arrived. "Just make sure that there is fresh bedding sent ahead with the provisions."

Arthur when Merlin had told him that he intended to accompany him had said, "You don't like hunting, here's an opportunity for you to stay at the castle and spend time with Gaius."

Merlin replied, "I mightn't like hunting but I do like you and the chamber behind the stone hearth is warm and dry."

Putting his arm across Merlin's shoulders he said, "We will not only be travelling with our knights, who are quite capable of turning a blind eye but with strangers whom the better I get to know seem to have an ulterior motive for being here. Damn, if it is beyond my grasp but the pointed remarks and questionable looks make me feel that something is afoot."

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark?" Merlin suggested.

Arthur pushed him away from himself and looked him in the eye, "Merlin, you say some really stupid things, what's a state and who is Denmark? Don't tell me you've been reading Gaius's books again?"

"No just something a chap called Marcellus said and it stuck in my mind."

Well, unstick it. We've got the day to ourselves. What do you want to do...?"

Later, Merlin got his way to attend Arthur on the hunting trip.

-0-0-

The weather was excellent. The cool and misty mornings gave way to warm and sunny afternoons. The hunting proved successful and King Peter and his son Paul were thrilled when his grandson managed to bag a deer, his first. There was rejoicing all around .

Pack horses made the trips back to Camelot laden with carcases. The meat safes where the game would be hung as it cured would be packed. The cooks would have their choice of fresh meat and Arthur figured that for the next couple of weeks venison and boar would be complimenting the usual fowl and pork.

After the guests have left there would be a proper royal hunt and this time meat would be laid aside for the yuletide celebrations. Huntsmen returned regularly during the year with venison for the kitchens but in the autumn the animals were prized as they were in good weight having feasted all summer, especially the boar which would have been eating up the acorns and horse chestnuts. Wild boar was a favourite during the festivities.

Merlin was careful not to overstep the boundaries of his job. He spent the day trudging after Arthur without giving any advice and generally watching from afar. Mealtimes, he helped serving at the 'L' shaped table and ate afterwards with the staff.

At one point Gawaine had moved over for him to join them at the table, but Merlin had shook his head. Later, he explained that in the circumstances he needed to keep a low profile.

Gawaine apologised saying that he hoped his mistake had not been noticed by the guests, but Merlin said that they had been so busy boasting about their hunting abilities that he did not believe they had noticed the slip-up.

At night, Merlin had his bedroll laid out on the floor of the private bedchamber behind the hearth. The stones were always warm and the room pleasant. Spenser had laughed when Merlin had told him with a wink, that he slept at the foot of Arthur's bed on the floor.

"That'll be the day", Spenser had said, at least keep the door barred but I doubt that any of the Montbus Clan would be likely to try to enter Arthur's room at night."

"Well, I keep my bedroll on the floor in the corner just in case anyone snoops during the day. I'll be so glad to see the back of them."

"Simon told me that Lord Willis had been questioning him about the number of empty bedchambers in the castle and the frequency of guests. Simon had told him that all that information would be available from the Lord Chamberlain but that he wasn't privileged to it."

"I must say that they are very complimentary about the quality of our game and hunting facilities. Do you think that they have much land for hunting where they live? Arthur just refers to their land as sufficient for their needs. Maybe, I should suggest to him that we visit them next year."

Arthur had come up behind them quietly and said, "As if! I have no intention of courting their friendship. I find that they are a little too interested in my lifestyle and the lives of my knights for my liking. Has anyone said anything to you, Spenser?"

"No, but Simon was questioned about the accommodation available in the castle and the frequency of guests."

-0-0-

Later in the privacy of their own chamber, Arthur laughed, "Heaven forbid that they might want to move in permanently. I couldn't abide that." Lying beside the warm stones, Arthur reviewed how well the hunt had progressed.

Merlin asked him, "You've enjoyed it, so far then?"

"It's not been too bad, haven't yet had the honour of hunting with him as he has kept with his own men. The young boy seems pretty good though as he made a nice clean kill. The king was thrilled."

"Yes, it has probably saved your skin as that was all he wanted to talk about during the meal. Anyway, he was happy that's the main thing."

Arthur turned and said, "I missed having you beside me at table."

"Wandering hands and all that...?"

Arthur pulled him closer and said, "No! I just mean…you. How about a kiss? Can't offer more as you are not the quietest person around and we don't want knights breaking down the door to save their king."

"They never have before, why start now?"

"Maybe at the behest of a certain royal guest who believed that someone was being attacked!"

Merlin burst out laughing as he visualised the king in the doorway shocked to find Arthur abed with a servant.

Arthur turned toward Merlin and smiled, "Merlin of Ealdor, Arthur Pendragon is completely besotted by you. His life would be sadly incomplete without you. He would waste away like a fragile flower from lack of attention. His mind would be..."

"Kiss me, Arthur, before you wither away in self pity!"

Silence descended on the chamber behind the hearth. The lodge fell asleep and the nocturnal forest creatures returned.

A scream shattered the silence and Merlin's heart leapt, he sat up and then felt stupid as he identified the scream of a barn owl. He lay back, his heart slowing and smiled to himself as childhood memories flooded his mind.

In Ealdor, a pair of owls had set up house in Old Jem's thatched cow byre. At the beginning, their eerie drawn out shrieks had scared the living daylights out of the village kids. They flew predominantly at dusk or at night, scaring even adults as they glided by them as ghostly phantoms on silent wings searching for small mammals from baby rabbits to rodents and even insects.

Merlin cuddled into Arthur.

-0-0-

 _Merlin comes to pleasantly as someone is running his fingers up his spine. He moves back to benefit from the light stroking. Smiling to himself, he remembers the times when his friend has been patient with him, never demanding, always being careful that that was what he, Merlin also wanted._

 _His hands reach out towards him as his love starts peppering his shoulders with kisses. He smiles deciding to act passively to see just how far he will go. They are in the armoury, around them the squires are returning lances and shields to the racks, then waiting quietly as knights loudly discuss their morning training. It doesn_ _'_ _t seem strange to him that he is on a large bed in the middle of the room doing more than reviewing training procedure._

 _Merlin smiles, he recognises the plan of action and turns over. The bed is now surrounded by trees and he can see the dark clouds and the mountain tops. He knows that if he raises his head, he would see Ealdor as a smudge on the landscape across the valley. He realises that the double testa on the bed is protecting the occupants from the light drizzle._

 _He turns his mind back to the person with whom he shares the nest. They are safe and sound even as the rumbles in the background herald the approaching storm. Their bodies lie entwined and Merlin runs his hand up his friend's chest only to be met with slack muscles and jelly like folds of loose skin. He realises that the lips kissing him are surrounded by a moustache and beard. He pushes back and the face materialising before him is not whom he had expected but that of King Peter. He recoils in horror, pushing away from him with frantic movements but his legs are now caught by the long grasses._

 _He turns racing through the grass trying to find a hole or a log to hide under,_ _"_ _Arthur, keep up with me!_ _"_ _he calls._

 _But they are too late, a flap of wings and a downdraft, Arthur squeaks and he is lifted into the air by a ghostly form. Merlin turns seeing his friend carried away to a nearby stump of a tree. He doesn_ _'_ _t stay to watch the rest, he runs until he reaches home, his Mam is there and she says,_ _"_ _I warned you not to play at the edge of the field at dusk,_ _"_ _seemingly undeterred by the loss of Merlin_ _'_ _s friend._

 _He hears the barn owl shriek again…_


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24** **: OF BUNNY RABBITS, DEER AND BOAR**

The barn owl shrieked again and Merlin woke up… He disturbed Arthur who said, "Are you all right?"

Merlin shakes his head, "No, it was awful!" He reached over and lit the candle. It would be easier to get over the horror of what had happened in candlelight.

"Tell me, I'm sure we can get it straightened out."

Merlin began to explain his dream and in so doing he realised it made little sense. He explained that they were in bed and everything was fine, sure the bed was in the armoury surrounded by disinterested knights but at the moment it had seemed quite natural. "Arthur, then I realised that the person I had just had sex with was not you?"

Arthur shook his head feeling it was probably dream Gawaine who had been impersonating him. However, he felt sure that he wouldn't have satisfied Merlin as he would have. He said with a laugh, "So, how did they compare with me?"

Merlin looked as if he was going to be sick as he said, "It turned out to be King Peter. His whiskers rubbed my cheeks and he was flabby and out of shape compared to you. It was disgusting."

"So, you really didn't enjoy it?"

"Arthur, that's not funny! Of course, I didn't! But it gets worse, we were then on the hilltop above Ealdor and it started to rain but we were dry. Then I was running in the grass and you were following me. We had to find somewhere safe as we were being followed and…you didn't make it."

"Don't be silly, I can certainly keep up with you, you'd spend more time getting back on your feet that going forward. So tell me…what happened to me?"

"You were picked up and landed on a tree stump! I was frightened and I ran away."

"Well, that wasn't a very nice thing to do! Couldn't you have got me off the stump?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because you were dead as a talon had gone right through your heart and already, you were being town apart and eaten…"

Arthur shook his head, "Merlin, shame we couldn't harness that imagination of your, it could run all the spits in the castle kitchens…but why was I being eaten?"

Realising how stupid the answer was Merlin muttered something. Arthur said, "Speak more slowly, I didn't catch it."

"…because you were a little bunny!"

Arthur looked at Merlin and then his body started to shake with laughter, "You're telling me that you had sex with another king because I was a bunny rabbit."

"No, not like that as I didn't know you were a rabbit until we were in the deep grass."

"…and you didn't care?

"Of course I cared, you were my best friend but when I told my mother she said that she had warned us not to play at the edge of the field at dusk."

"Beaten to the post by an old king and then only able to hippity hop home until I was impaled by an owl. Gosh, Merlin! Don't ever invite me into your dreams as I dread to think what might happen to me."

Merlin cuddled into him and said, "When you are in my dreams, I do everything within my power to look after you, I'd give my life for you."

"Even if I were a little rabbit?"

"Yes, even a little rabbit with the cutest fluffy tail, long ears, beautiful eyes and the most gorgeous whiskers."

"Come here, I'm going to do something to you which no rabbit could."

Merlin grinned. This was Arthur, there was no doubt about it and he was in the hunting lodge in their own private chamber. He'd worry about rabbits and visiting kings tomorrow.

-0-0-

The day dawned clear and the servants had breakfast ready for them as soon as they arrived in the main room. The plan was for Arthur and King Peter to hunt together accompanied by Gawaine, Simon, Rhydian and the royal huntsman. Merlin and the king's manservant Gould would attend as personal staff.

They were planning to cast the hounds a couple of miles to the west of the hunting lodge as boar tracks had been seen in that area. Demetrius the king's grandson was not permitted on the hunt as boar were notoriously unpredictable and brave to the point of being foolhardy when they attacked.

Two hours into the hunt, tracks had been spotted. The hunting party spread out in a fan, advancing as quietly as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, Gawaine spied a dark mass obscured by branches beneath a tree. He alerted Arthur with a bird call and pointed in the direction of the quarry.

Arthur's eye caught the mass and waving the others forward made sure that King Peter was in a position to get a good shot. The king quietly pulled back the bolt on his crossbow and it flew directly towards the animals neck. It should have brought the boar to its knees but possibly hearing the bolt coming, it moved and was pierced in the upper neck. It screamed and charged.

Merlin had a clear view of the animal.

Gawaine stepped forward aiming for the skull; he released the bolt but the beast kept charging and then suddenly dropped at King Peter's feet. Its body spasmed, legs twitching violently then it lay still. It was a humane kill. Clean and fast.

Arthur grinned at Gawaine but turned to King Peter and congratulated him. He'd buy Gawaine a couple of drinks later. Everyone in the Camelot group knew that it was Gawaine's bolt which had dispatched the animal but as host, Arthur preferred to honour his royal guest.

Gawaine walked forward and rolled the carcase. He removed the hunting knife embedded in its eye. He knew that his hit would not have stopped the animal in time. He slipped the knife in his boot, planning to return it to its rightful owner later.

The knights all congratulated King Peter on his kill. Arthur hoped that he might be satisfied and decide to return to Camelot instead of hanging around for a couple of more days.

The huntsman took his hounds and returned to notify the groom at the hunting lodge that a packhorse was needed. "One of your strongest, it's a brute of a boar!" he told the head groom.

The second huntsman and Rhydian gutted the animal. Merlin smiled, thinking that blood was one thing which Iago didn't do well. Thankfully, his horse would not be expected to carry the boar carcase back to the castle. He smiled thinking of how long it had taken the first time to get Iago to allow him to mount if he had tied rabbits or a brace of pheasant to his saddle. Stranger still, the horse would carry a wounded and bleeding man with no complaint but a rabbit…!

Merlin was pleased that Arthur had attributed the kill to the king. He mustn't forget to get his knife from Gawaine. He knew that the boar was charging too fast and that it would have barrelled into the knight possibly grievously wounding him. The tusks of an enraged boar are lethal weapons.

'Maybe,' thought Merlin, 'The guest king has had enough hunting and will decide to accompany the boar back to Camelot.' He hoped so, as Arthur and he still had a few loose ends to tie up before they left the hunting lodge…

King Peter did exactly that by deciding to accompany the massive boar to Camelot in pomp and circumstance which appealed to him. He left mid afternoon planning to arrive before the packhorse and prepare his family for its arrival.

He left with his son and grandson, his knights and manservant. Merlin also suggested to Arthur that the huntsman and extra serving staff should also leave as he would be willing to prepare and serve meals with a little help from Simon and the two squires.

Arthur stood in front of the lodge to see the king and his retinue depart. Once they were out of sight, he turned and hugged Merlin. Life was back to normal.

That night as they lay in bed, Arthur told him exactly what had happened in the walled gardens where he had walked in seclusion with King Peter.

Merlin made sympathetic noises and cautioned Arthur to think carefully about the proposition. "Would it be so bad to beget a legal heir?" he'd asked.

Arthur was offended, "…but I don't love the girl!"

"You don't have to love someone to get them pregnant!" Merlin had insisted, adding "Many marriages and pregnancies these days are matters of convenience or inconveniences depending on how you look at it…"

"Since when do you know so much about marriages?"

"I don't! I just read it somewhere."

"Just think, the family would be legally tied to me and horrors of horrors they might decide to move in with us! …and worse than that I would have to get another manservant." Arthur thought for a few minutes before saying, "…and that's not likely to happen?"

Merlin chuckled, "Well, how long did King Peter give you before he wanted your response?"

"He didn't say."

"Better decide on something before he gets desperate…"

-0-0-

The hunt continued for two more days and soon all the packhorses had returned to Camelot heavily laden.

Arthur was feeling better after a few days without his guest. He decided that for their last night in the lodge, they would celebrate the hunt. The squires, Merlin and Simon made sure that all the provisions barring what they would consume for breakfast were used.

It proved to be a great if unusual feast. Arthur had insisted that everyone sit at the table including the squires. Merlin and Simon had done miracles and there was a thick squash and turnip pottage, followed by roast rabbit with mushrooms, venison stew and partridge and apple pie. There were also the equivalent of bannocks which had been cooked over the fire.

Arthur knew that Merlin and his group had scavenged the woods to find the fruit and vegetables. He referred to the meal as the hedgerow and wayside supper. There was still plenty of ale but the mead was running low.

The company was excellent and the evening very relaxed. Arthur thanked everyone for accompanying him on the hunt including the squires. He then toasted Gawaine as the hunter of the moment with his kill of the giant boar. Gawaine had laughingly turned to congratulate Merlin on his eye shot but Merlin had shook his head saying that it was in the job description of a royal manservant.

Arthur had laughed out loud and pulled Merlin closer to him on the bench.

Merlin was in his element with the knights who were their friends, they could act normally and he was no longer relegated to being three feet behind Arthur. Gawaine interrupted by adding that it was only one of the duties and he was pleased to see Arthur in a much happier frame of mind.

Those around the table laughed knowingly and Arthur just shook his head at Gawaine. Taking advantage of the fact that the squires had begun to clear the remnants of the meal, he said, "Come here!" wrapped his arms around Merlin and kissed the top of his head.

The mead was all finished and it was decided that if everyone was agreeable to water as the breakfast beverage they might as well finish the ale. Gawaine's eyes lit up as it was too early to retire and tomorrow was going to be an easy ride home.

The squires had already retired to their downstairs room when Arthur announced that everyone should be ready to leave by noon. He also mentioned that a wagonload of servants would be coming to clean up the lodge. He laughed as he said to Gawaine that if he were in no condition to ride, he could return in the wagon the following day.

By the time the ale was finished, Gawaine needed help getting to the upper storey chamber he was sharing with Simon and Rhydian. Merlin smiled as although Gawaine seemed incapacitated he knew that if someone had charged into the lodge intent on doing evil that Gawaine would have been quite capable of holding his own.

Over the years, they had all decided that Gawaine's ancestors had all been drinking men and the ability to soak up drink like a sponge obviously ran in the family. Arthur had one day privately told Merlin, that he was sure that the women in the family were the same. He had confided to him that he felt that alcohol was mother's milk to the knight. Merlin smiled remembering that.

Arthur had had his fair share of drink and was buzzing. He insisted on helping Merlin undress which took longer than if Merlin had stripped off by himself. He had then rolled back on the bed and fallen fast asleep. Merlin climbed over him, slipped under the covers, the warm stones were comforting and he knew that the squires would keep the fires going overnight.

He lay there reflecting on what he had said to Arthur about an heir.

Deep down he was worried that if Arthur married he might fall in love unintentionally. He didn't think it would happen but he had heard of the wiles of a determined woman. Arthur loved him that he was sure but would he not have some feelings towards a woman should she present him with a son? Would he not feel differently towards her? He let his mind mull over that fact.

Being unwilling to voice it, he knew that he would love to see and hold a son or daughter of Arthur's. Did Arthur feel the same? His kingdom was strong and growing, yet he had no one to inherit it. Did he ever consider how if the unthinkable should happen, the kingdom would survive? Merlin decided that he would speak to Gaius.

Gaius had when he was dealing with his feelings for Arthur been very understanding and had explained everything which he needed to know patiently and concisely. He trusted him. As his mother always said, 'A trouble shared is a trouble halved,' he made up his mind to seek advice once they arrived home.

He worried that his feelings for Arthur and his desire for him to belong to him and him alone, were clouding the larger picture. He knew that Arthur would want to discuss any decision he was to make but Merlin trusted the adage, forewarned is forearmed. He needed to prepare himself for what might lie ahead and Gaius was the man he wanted in his corner.

-0-0-

Their return to Camelot was low key. Arthur just wanted to be home and was met by his senior knights on the stairs and then retired to his room. He told Thomas that Merlin and he would be eating alone and once the meal was on the table he would have no further need of him.

Thomas said to Merlin, "I believe that the meal tonight is trout with root vegetables. Would the king prefer something different?"

Merlin had smiled saying, "After all the meat we have had to deal with over the last couple of days, fish sounds very appetising, thank you. How were the boys while we were away? They really wanted to join us but it wouldn't have been conducive to serious hunting."

"Outside classes, Randall had his hands full." He saw Merlin frown so quickly added, "Just regular things young lads get up to. They decided that it would make life easier for the servants if they moved the chamberpot closer to the bed and then Treva got up in the morning forgetting his was there and knocked it over. Randall heard the clatter and rushed out of bed to find one slightly damp boy sitting on the flagstones."

Merlin grinned, remembering how Arthur had told him that he and Piers had one day rearranged the locations of the chamberpots in some of the knights' chambers and had come to within a hair's breadth of being caned.

Thomas smiled and left the chamber to arrange for the king's supper.

"What was so funny?" Arthur asked from the table where he was glancing over paperwork.

"Treva's been up to his old tricks. He moved a chamberpot then forgot about in and stepped into it and ended up soaked."

"Bet Randall enjoyed that! But it also brings back memories. Did you and your friends escape the chamberpot wars in Ealdor?"

Merlin replied, "Arthur, I lived in a thatched one roomed cottage, a step above a hovel. There was hardly enough room for us let alone a proper chamber pot. Most of the year, I just went behind the cottage. However, in the winter or on bad rainy nights, we used a jug with a broken rim, nothing as luxurious as here. There was the equivalent of a latrine for the village just a ditch where pots were emptied. In the summer the flies were horrendous but it was a bit away from the houses. You were raised in the lap of luxury, proper chamberpots and even servants to remove them."

Arthur got up and walked over to him wrapping his arms around him and pulling him closer, "Poor Merlin, raised in the wilds by a wonderful woman who managed to install honesty and love in this slight frame!"

"I survived as did thousands of other kids."

"Yes, but could you happily return to that life?"

"Probably, if needs must be!" Merlin felt a chill run up his back and he continued, "Why Arthur, have you decided that I am no longer of service."

"Ask me later tonight, my Love and I'll let you know."

Arthur tilted his head and claimed Merlin's lips. For the next few minutes, there was silence and then ragged breathing. "You are the love of my life," Arthur whispered before reluctantly pulling back and returning to the papers on the table.

Following him, Merlin wrapped his arms loosely around his neck and continued kissing the nape of his neck and behind his ears until Arthur said, "You'll be sorry when after supper I have to continue with these papers instead of something which would I know be mutually satisfying."

Merlin grabbed a chair and pulled it over to Arthur's side of the table saying, "What are you doing and can I be of any help?"

The two of them worked side beside until they heard Thomas arrive with one of the maidservants to set out the meal on the table in the adjoining ding room. Arthur crossed the last 't' and dotted the last 'i'. He left the paper on the table for the ink to dry.

-0-0-

Gaius had remembered the looks between King Peter and his son Prince Paul when Arthur had greeting Petra. This was his first opportunity to speak in absolute privacy to Geoffrey.

Supper had been served in Geoffrey's chambers near the library. The meal was finished and Geoffrey dismissed his manservant for the evening telling him he'd see him the following morning.

He stretched his arms behind his head and looked at his friend. Gaius and he had been good friends for years, both brilliant and well educated in their own fields. "So, what is it? I know that you have something on your mind!"

"You noticed it too. Didn't you? A look of accomplishment on their royal faces when Arthur offered his hand to the Princess Petra."

"I certainly did, Gaius, and have been watching them carefully since. I think that their pleasure was maybe a little premature. Arthur has not had any contact with her socially since the welcoming dinner."

"Maybe Peter's hunting success will be the only thing he'll be able to congratulate himself on him when returns home. More mead?"

"Thanks" He passed him his heavy glass goblet, admiring the golden colour of the refreshed drink in the candlelight. "She's a nice enough girl and young enough to raise a family. I think the king would like to see her well settled as it would benefit his family."

"I think they have set their sights at the wrong man. Arthur would never desert Merlin. True it would guarantee the Montbus's lifestyle and reinstall them as a family of importance."

Gaius noted, "King Peter is obviously ignorant of Merlin's importance in Arthur's life."

"Do you intend to mention anything to Arthur?"

"Not yet! We'll need more proof. I'll have a word with him this week just to see how things stand."

Mulling over it before saying anything, Geoffrey finally said, "What about their physician? Wonder if it would be worth speaking to him. Not to ask him directly but to fish around about the princess's opportunities and offers of marriage."

Gaius said, "Might work but doubt it. Physicians are quite tight-lipped about their patients and sponsors."

The two men sat sipping their mead and staring into the fire. Finally, Gaius said it was time he made it back to his own chambers. He left Geoffrey and walked slowly up the stairs, his mind on what Peter's intentions possibly were towards the King of Camelot.


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25 : FROM WORSE TO WORSE**

Arthur woke up early, he rolled over glancing at Merlin. Merlin was snoring, well more like huffing gently. He got up and opened the curtains, the day was grey but to the east he could see streaks of light heralding a possible clearing.

He made his way to the water closet and smiled at the facilities which were much superior to those offered at the hunting lodge which had a primitive water closet off their chamber but it only offered a rudimentary drain and a copper warmed by the fire in the main room. After a day's hunting, it was a luxury to be able to wash off in warm water and not needing to make a trip outside in the night was much appreciated.

By the time Arthur came back to the bed, Merlin was awake, so he said, "Well, hello there! Did you sleep well?"

Merlin hummed at him which Arthur took to mean yes. Stretching his legs to the end of the bed, he yawned and said, "What are the plans for today?"

"First breakfast, then a quick update from Leon. Then a surprise visit to the squires during late morning training, afterwards lunch with Treva maybe? Later on, I have a damned council meeting!" Merlin sighed sympathetically as Arthur continued, "During which time you could give Gaius a hand."

Merlin perked up, he did have a few things he'd like to discuss with Gaius. He wanted to give him a heads up about King Peter's proposal. "Do you need me before lunch?"

"No, I can get through that without any help. Get up now and we'll eat breakfast."

Merlin slipped his feet into house shoes, he hated the cold flagstones. He went to the antechamber to get the breakfast platters. He placed them on the edge of the table and moved the papers from the previous night.

Arthur wasn't there so he glanced around and he was sitting up in bed and he patted the bed beside him saying, "Let's have breakfast in bed."

"All right but only if you promise to be serious, usually it ends up causing Thomas more work." He placed the platters on the bed and went to the water closet.

"Feel better now?" asked a laughing voice as he came back to the bed.

Merlin made a face at him and slipped off his shoes and swung his legs into bed. His way of paying Arthur back was to let his cold feet touch his warm legs, causing Arthur to say with a laugh, "I guess I can suffer that as the saying goes, 'cold feet warm heart'.

-0-0-

Arthur was mystified, following his meeting with Leon, as the latter had said that Sir Graham had requested a private meeting with Arthur upon his return. Leon knew nothing more as Graham had said that he preferred not to divulge any information.

Leon did add, "Sir Graham said that he would like Merlin to be present."

"Thank you, Leon. Tell Graham that I will see him after lunch in my chambers and change the time of the Council Meeting to mid afternoon."

Arthur was flummoxed; why would Graham withhold information from Leon whom he had left in charge of the knights...and how was Merlin involved?

The squires' training session was good and it took Arthur's mind off Sir Graham's strange reluctance to enlighten Leon on the subject of the requested meeting with him. The squires especially those in their second year of training had showed marked improvement since they had first entered the squire training programme. By the time these fifteen year olds were candidates for the knighthood they would be fighters of the first calibre.

Arthur congratulated the Squire Master on the students' improvement and walked back to the castle with Caedrik and Rhylin. He smiled hearing Caedrick congratulating some of the squires as they made their way back to their quarters.

"Not that long ago for you, eh, Rhylin?" Arthur had said. He liked this man and had taken to having him with him frequently when he was a squire. Now as a knight he was often in Arthur's group as he'd always liked his brother Romney and they were of the same mould

"Seems years ago that I was that age but even then I knew what I wanted...the red cloak of a Camelot Knight."

Arthur smiled when he was young, he hadn't realised that he was to be a king and his one ambition was to be a knight, to have his own squire, a sword, a big horse and a red cloak.

He sometimes wondered if becoming a knight had not been a better accomplishment than being crowned king. The former he had worked at since the age of seven while the latter had come to him by a fault of birth.

Not that he diminished the value of kingship but he would not really know how successful he had been until he was dead and history had been written. He chuckled as he climbed the stairs to his chambers. Dead, or he could rely on Merlin to set him right.

-0-0-

Sir Graham joined them after lunch. He was the father of Henry Treva's little friend and shadow.

The three of them sat in the solar and Graham explained that what he was going to tell the two of them might be of little consequence but that he'd found it slightly disturbing and felt it was better to pass it on.

He explained, "One evening at bedtime, I checked in with Henry who surprised me by saying that he didn't like Demetrius and Darius and would be glad when they left because they made Treva and him sad. I was unable to get too much information but got the idea that they had been telling Treva that he was not important because he was only your ward and didn't really belong in Camelot. He kept repeating, 'But his does, Father, doesn't he?'

"I assured him that Treva belonged in Camelot and would be here for many years to come. It sounded such a strange thing for boys to be discussing that I thought I'd mention it to you.

Did Treva say anything to you?"

Both Arthur and Merlin shook their heads. Merlin added, "But Arthur has been busy entertaining and hunting. Treva said nothing when we had lunch with him today. He seemed quite happy as he'd been busy this morning with riding lessons." He turned to Arthur who nodded as Merlin continued, "He didn't seem upset about anything. Well, nothing he shared with us."

"He wasn't that talkative," said Arthur, "But he did mention the massive boar and how excited Demetrius and Darius were that their grandfather had killed it."

Merlin shrugged adding, "Technically, it was Gawaine's bolt but we let King Peter as a guest take the credit. It worked out well as he left for Camelot and gave us a break."

"Those boys didn't come up with that themselves, they've heard it from an adult and we need to find out who is saying things like that about Treva and more importantly why. I intend to get to the bottom of this. Has there been anything else?" Arthur wanted to know.

Sir Graham nodded, "Again, it might be nothing but I began keeping an eye on what was going on with the rest of the royal family. My wife has on some occasions been with Queen Zaerian and the princess and she mentioned that the princess's companion the Lady Florence was very nosey about the set up in the palace, especially the set up on the royal floors and the numbers of servants available.

"Then I hear from William my manservant that a few of the other servants have felt that the Montbus staff have ben watching a little too intently how things were carried out in Camelot and have been found in areas of the castles in which they had no business.

His wife mentioned that Lady Florence's maidservant had been asking some pointed questions about you, Arthur, and any female acquaintances which you might have. It was all done in a light heated manner but she felt uncomfortable as if there was a serious undercurrent and had mentioned it to her husband who very apologetically told me."

"Thank the young women on my behalf and tell William that he did the right in bringing it to your attention."

"Arthur, that is all I really know. Thank you for listening to me and I hope that Treva has not been unduly harassed by those two boys."

Arthur stood up as did Merlin and Graham. "I am going to ask you to keep your ear to the ground. Maybe we have given our guests too much freedom in the castle. Thank you for having the sense to bring it to my attention. Tell Lady Henrietta that her information is valued and Merlin and I will look into this immediately."

Sir Graham bowed and left the solar. Thomas who had been standing in the antechamber, saw him out into the corridor.

Merlin looked at Arthur and shook his head. There was something under foot but how important it was neither of them knew. Merlin was determined that Treva's confidence in himself was not going to be undermined by two grandsons of an inconsequential royal.

"If I catch them at it, Arthur, they'll be sorry!"

As he left for the council meeting Arthur mentioned to Thomas that he would like to see Randall after Treva was in bed.

-0-0-

Merlin took the opportunity to go to Gaius whom he found reading in his chamber.

He brought him up to date on what he knew about Arthur's walk in the garden with King Peter. He was surprised when Gaius took it in without comment.

"So, that's all you're going to do…nod?" he asked Gaius.

Gaius shook his head, "Geoffrey and I surmised that something like this might happen."

"But, why didn't you warn Arthur? He hasn't told me everything but I have to confess that I was able to overhear the whole conversation. Gaius, he obviously wants Arthur to ask for the hand of his daughter. It would explain so much of what is happening. Henry told his father that the boys have been teasing Treva, reminding him that he is not Arthur's real son and only a ward. Treva knows that but I guess they upset him. I like children but some of them can be hurtful to others especially if they are younger or if they feel that it would result in their parents' approval.

"Sir Graham looked into the situation and has had reports that the Montbus contingent have been trying to find out about the castle accommodation and even about Arthur's friendship with the opposite sex."

Gaius looked at Merlin, he could see that he was upset that both Treva's and Arthur's privacy had been compromised. "Merlin, nothing will happen which Arthur doesn't want. He is the King of Camelot and has the upper hand. If necessary he can send his royal guests packing, it is well within his right. But this isn't the only thing which is upsetting you, is it?"

Merlin shook his head. He stopped to collect this thoughts and then said, "Gaius, what if King Peter is right, that Arthur should marry and produce an heir. A princess would be a suitable match wouldn't she?"

Gaius thought, 'Only if Arthur was attracted to her and agreed.'

"Would I be wrong trying to stop him?" Merlin continued, "I know that Treva has his own estates and will never rule Camelot and all the work Arthur has done will be eroded by neighbouring kingdoms."

"Did you tell Arthur of your concerns?"

"No, I am waiting for him to tell me everything which the king said. I know I shouldn't have been eavesdropping but I am glad I did as I now know what Arthur is facing."

"Merlin, you need to talk to Arthur. He might have absolutely no intention of marrying anyone. Nothing states that as king he has to marry. That would be his own personal choice. Maybe he didn't take what King Peter said seriously.

"From what you told me Sir Graham said, I would think that should a marriage take place, as Father of the Queen, King Peter intends to move his family in here. But, I'm sorry that Treva was upset. That Henry is a sensible boy and a credit to Graham and Henrietta. I think you might limit the time the four of them spend together and make sure that squires are with them when they have any free time. It was like that when Arthur was a page, Romney and Gielbert were always nearby."

He looked at Merlin's face and felt sorry for him. He was so down and until he and Arthur got everything out on the table he could really do nothing. At least he would bring Geoffrey up to date on what has happened and maybe he could suggest something.

Merlin thanked Gaius. The physician put his arm around Merlin and gave him a big hug. "Don't worry, you know Arthur better than any of us and I know that he could never consider spending the rest of his life without you."

Merlin smiled adding that King Peter had also told Arthur that after the wedding he would be expected to have a married man as manservant.

Gaius said wisely, "As if that is going to happen!"

Smiling sadly, Merlin made his way back to their chambers, He sat in the solar. It was warm and Arthur was late and he felt himself dozing off.

-0-0-

He awoke to someone nuzzling at his neck. He stretched and let Arthur continue but the smile on his face showed that he knew exactly who it was and what was happening. He almost purred causing Arthur to start laughing and spoil the whole mood. "Well, you seem to have had a very relaxing afternoon, while I was busy batting my head against a very annoying old knight who didn't have a leg to stand on nor enough sense to realise it."

Merlin didn't say anything just turned so that he was able to reach Arthur more easily. He really loved him and the idea of a princess coming between them frightened him but he knew that that was to be Arthur's choice not his. This was Arthur's world and he alone would need to make the decision.

"Did you see Gaius? Where you able to tell him about what Graham told us about Treva?"

Merlin keeping his arms around Arthur's waist said, "Yes and yes! He wasn't too surprised as he felt that King Peter had something up his sleeve, just that he didn't know what. He says that we should watch over Treva carefully, maybe insist that he goes nowhere even around the castle without two squires. I'll have a word with him I'm sure he'll accept it."

"He won't have a choice! If I have anything to say. He's not going to be bullied in his own home by supposed guests. What did he think about Graham's information?"

"He didn't seem surprised. Geoffrey had also mentioned to him that he had questions about King Peter's behaviour when he first arrived. Maybe the two of us have been wandering around in blinkers. From now on I'm keeping my eyes open and not trusting any royalty!"

"Not even me?" Arthur asked with a little grin.

"No, I will continue to trust you…until you do something to lose my trust!"

"Oh, something like this maybe?" Arthur slipped his hands around Merlin's waist managing at the same time to slip them under his tunic. He hugged Merlin to him saying, "Stop worrying! We're going to be all right. We'll get this Treva mess sorted. I'll take care of King Peter and his crazy ideas…and remember they have already been here for three weeks. Roll on Samhain!"

-0-0-

The following morning, Arthur spoke to the Chamberlain and his assistant Humphrey telling them of the reports which were filtering back about the Montbus servants. "I think it is specific ones, maybe those closer to the royal family. At the moment they are only guilty of being intrusive with comments and questions. Keep me posted if you hear anything."

Arthur asked Humphrey to send a page to notify the Squire Master that he would like to see him immediately. Both men bowed and left Arthur's presence.

His next visitor was the Squire Master, he notifying him that as of tomorrow a squire Rhys or Gregory was to accompany Treva whenever he had time away from his training as a page unless he was with Randall.

He had notified Randall of the incident but asked him not to mention it to Treva as Merlin was going to speak to him later. Arthur was satisfied that he had everything taken care of.

But he hadn't…that afternoon, Demetrius and Darius met up with Treva and Henry as together they were delivering a message to Sir Rook.

Treva explained that they were working and had to see Sir Rook. Demetrius snatched the note and told him that he would deliver it himself.

Treva said, "But you don't know where his chamber is. It is our job to deliver it and we will be in trouble if we don't…won't we, Henry?" Henry nodded his agreement.

Demetrius took control, to Treva he was almost a grown up so when he insisted that he would see it delivered, he was afraid to argue.

They walked along a corridor and Darius who was tagging along said, "Do you celebrate Yuletide with lots of presents?"

Treva and Henry's faces lit up with Henry saying, "Oh, Yes! It's so much fun and there is a feast for the knights' families in the grand hall and all the children get to attend!"

"Remember Henry, we saw the great Yule Log and the mummers…"

"And the acrobats and musicians!" Henry added.

Treva told the other two boys, "Arthur and Merlin give me presents and usually I make something for them with Randall's help."

"Can't be that good as you're only a kid!"

"But it was!" insisted Henry, "Merlin said so."

"Merlin's only a servant what would he know?" said Demetrius.

Treva's face fell; Merlin was like the sun, the centre of his universe, his whole world orbited around him. He had never forgotten nor was he ever likely to, how Merlin had saved his life. Arthur too of course but there was something about Merlin which was special. Treva had a feeling that he really didn't like Demetrius even if he was the grandson of a king.

However, Demetrius was off on another tangent, "Would you like to show us the castle?" he said.

Henry loved exploring and jumped up and down saying to Treva, "Let's do it."

Treva nodded, the delivery of the message to Sir Rook completely slipped his mind. "But I should let Randall know."

"You don't have to, I'll explain to him when we get back." Demetrius said with all the authority of a thirteen year old.

-0-0-

They wandered on the upper floors and reached the stairs which gave access to the attics. It was fun, dusty furniture and old amours, they each took old swords to protect them from ghosts.

Then they reached another corridor with stairs which Treva knew would lead them to the battlements. Treva knew they were forbidden to go up there as one day he had watched guards up on the battlements and saw one servant with a ladder climbing to the top of the turret to replace one of the pennants which flew there.

Randall had explained that that was a very dangerous job, even the guards were careful on the battlements as should they fell over, they would certainly die.

So, he kept walking past the stairs but Darius wanted to go up them to the door at the top. "We must be near the battlements," he said, "We will be able to see the whole of the castle just like one of the crows."

Henry said, "The door will be padlocked."

"You hope!" said Demetrius and started climbing the stairs. "You're a chicken! You'll never be a squire and certainly not a knight…and you parents will be disappointed with you and hate you."

Henry stood stock still, he was really afraid but he didn't want his parents to be disappointed.

He soon had tears running down his face.

Treva hugged him and told him that no one would ever feel that way about him especially his mother and father. "They never feel that way about their children because they love them too much!"

"Another mother's boy!" said Demetrius nastily.

As Darius added laughing, "Oh, that's right, he doesn't have a mother, does he?"

Demetrius gave his brother a pat on the back and said, "Good one!"

However, with Darius calling them chicken and Demetrius saying that Treva didn't have the right to be a King's Ward and things would soon change for him in Camelot. Henry gave up and sat crying on the bottom step.

Treva feeling that he had to show them how brave he was so Merlin wouldn't be disappointed, began to follow them up the stairs.


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26 : EVER UPWARD**

Treva took one step at a time saying to himself, 'I hope it's locked! It's got to be locked!' He looked back down the stairs at Henry cuddled in a ball on the first step and he wished he was down there beside him.

As he mounted higher up the curved staircase, he lost sight of not only Henry but the two brothers ahead of him.

Demetrius called back, "Don't lag too far behind or you'll be lost and never found again."

Treva speeded up. He hated himself for being so scared and he hated them because they made him feel like this. A single sob escaped his throat, he wasn't a baby, really he wasn't...but he wanted Merlin.

He heard the boys cheer and he realised his worst nightmare; the door had been unlocked. The wind sneaked down the stairs and he shivered.

-0-0-

Merlin found Henry wandering the courtyard crying. He had never ignored a crying child and this was Henry so Merlin immediately stopped and put his arms around him, the boy clung to him sobbing.

"What's wrong, little man?" Merlin said. "You're safe...did you hurt yourself?" Realizing this was something more important than the usual run of the mill childhood incidents, he turned to Gawaine and said, "Get his mother or father."

He crouched down so he was at eye level, "What happened? Where's Treva?"

This resulted in more crying. Merlin made out the words boys...chicken...scared...Treva went. "Went where?" Merlin prompted.

Suddenly, he heard gasps and turned to see Caedrik pointing up to one of the towers. Two small figures and further away an even smaller one were walking towards the iron ladder clamped to the wall of a tower to give access to the outside of the turret.

His heart dropped. What in heaven's name was happening? Arthur had said that he was going to take care of everything. He breathed a sigh of relief as he handed Henry to his mother.

Gawaine said, "I'll get Arthur."

King Peter took that exact moment to walk into the courtyard wanting to know what all the fuss was about.

Before Merlin could control himself he said, "Your damned grandsons, that's what!"

The king was furious. He said, "You'll be dismissed for that remark, my man."

"I'm not your man and never will be!" He turned to Simon and said, "Let's go." They were followed by Caedrick and Gavin.

They took off leaving King Peter shaking his head. One of his knights stepped forward and whispered to him causing him to glance upward and his face blanched.

The knights and Merlin finally reached the tower stairs. Running up them, they worried about what they would find on the battlements.

-0-0-

Rhylin had left the courtyard as soon as he had seen the boys and raced up the stairs to the corresponding tower. Raised in the castle, he knew all the shortcuts and was young and agile.

He was the first to arrive on the battlement.

The two princes were standing with their backs to the crenelated wall. Demetrius taking what he felt was a royal pose, said defiantly to Rhylin, "He _won't_ come down!"

Rhylin pulled the boys away from the battlement, shoving them roughly to safety against the tower itself.

He then looked at the ladder. The rungs were suitably spaced for an adult, but not for little legs. Treva would have to hang on by his hands dangling his legs so his toes could finally find the lower rung.

Rhylin then realised it wasn't so much a matter of 'won't' as 'can't' come down. He ripped off his red cloak and put his foot on the bottom rung.

Merlin was pleased to see a red cloak ahead of them. Rhylin must have raced up there immediately.

Merlin heard him say quietly, "Treva, just one rung at a time. I'm here, I won't let you fall." The boy slid down to the next rung and then a gust of wind rattled the chains attached to the pennant at the top of the turret and he glanced up and froze.

Merlin walked forward and stood beside Rhylin. He nodded at the young knight before calling up to Treva without laying any blame or seeming cross, "Well, you've certainly got yourself in a little pickle! Can you could get down one more rung?"

"No, I can't...I'm scared...and now you will hate me because of that."

"Treva, no one is going to hate you. Arthur and I love you very much but I'd rather have you down here beside me that pretending to be a crow perched on a ladder."

Rhylin whispered to Merlin, "I can go up to get him! It's too difficult for him to reach the rungs when he's scared. The ladder is solid and I know I can do it."

Merlin wanted to get the boy himself but Rhylin was already on the lower rung. He nodded, then turned to Simon and pointing at the other two boys, saying loud enough for them to here, "...and get those two nuisances out of my sight. King Arthur will deal with them later."

That threat brought home to Darius the stupid mean thing they had done and he started to cry.

Demetrius just glared at Merlin, "You are only a servant; none of the knights will do as you say." He'd hardly got it out of his mouth when Caedrick grabbed him by the collar and he was hauled away. Simon followed with Darius.

Merlin said, " Treva, Rhylin is coming up to you. He'll come up behind you and then he will stand on the rung below you with one arm around you and you can lean back against him and slide down to that rung and then the next one."

"He won't drop me?"

"Treva, I would never let anyone drop you as you are too important to me." Merlin closed his eyes briefly and muttered, " _…et incolumes custodire eum!_ " The gold in his eyes faded.

Treva felt Rhylin's hands near his legs then the knight was on the rung below him holding him tightly against the ladder.

Merlin said,"Lean back against Rhylin and he will hold you as you search for the next rung." Slowly the cradled child was brought down a few more rungs.

Once they got low enough for Merlin to get his hands on Treva's legs, he said, "Come on, one more and I can pluck you off the ladder like Arthur plucks spiders off the wall." He could feel Treva relax and once he could he grabbed him and pulled him back onto his chest.

-0-0-

Arthur charged up the stairs to see Merlin reaching for Treva, he held his breath until Rhylin transferred him to Merlin's arms. Merlin had turned Treva so he was facing him, he kissed the boy's brow and with his thumb wiped the tears from his face.

He heard Arthur say, "Thank God! He's safe..." He wrapped his arms around both of them and offered a silent prayer of thanks.

As he had passed them, he had frowned at the two other boys standing near the stairs with Caedrik and had had a hard time controlling his temper. Gawaine had given him a rough idea of what they thought had happened.

"Let's get him to Gaius, just to be certain." Merlin nodded, he'd already done a preliminary check of his legs and arms and everything seemed all right.

Hearing the name of Gaius, Treva grabbed Merlin's arm and shook his head. "I have to go to my chamber first."

Arthur said, "First we go to Gaius, then you can go to your chamber."

Treva grabbed Merlin's hand and pulled him down so he could whisper something to him. Merlin listened seriously and Arthur heard him say, "Don't worry, that often happens to knights in their first battles."

"It does?" said a shocked but relieved young lad.

Merlin caught Arthur's eye, smiled and mouthed, "He wet himself…" He whipped the boy up into his arms and following Arthur carried him carefully down the stairs.

"Get this door padlocked! And find out which unfortunate soul left it open!" Arthur ordered the most senior knight present.

-0-0-

Gaius checked over Treva and pronounced him unharmed, "Now, no more hi-jinks…for a little while, keep your feet on the ground!"

Treva said with a little grin, "But what about if I am riding?"

"Get away with you…" said Gaius laughing as he stood back letting him get off the cot.

Randall had brought a change of clothes and while Merlin supervised Treva's getting dressed, Gaius spoke to Arthur, "Peer pressure can be very strong and even override common sense. I think he has learnt his lesson. He is going to feel a little stiff tomorrow from using his arm and shoulder muscles but I can see no reason why he can't go right back to school."

Arthur nodded, "I'm sure the Ladies of the Court who teach the pages will have a little something to say about the message which was not delivered and playing around instead of doing their duties as pages. I'm just glad that nothing bad happened."

Gaius nodded, "You could have had a ward with a broken back if he had fallen…"

"…or worse," said Merlin who had come over to join them.

"Just remember that you were both boys at one time and I'm sure that you gave people nasty shocks." He smiled at Arthur and added, "I know you did and I'm sure, you Merlin, ran your mother ragged at times."

Both men looked a little guilty as Gaius smiled at them. "Tell him he was in the wrong but let him know that you still love him and trust him. By the way, I saw Sir Graham, he dropped by to tell me what had happened and that Henry was in a real state, sure that Treva was going to die and that he would be blamed as he hadn't gone up the stairs with him.

"You might maybe allow the boys to see each other before they go to bed tonight. I doubt that there will be much fooling going on."

Arthur nodded and taking Treva's hand lead him from the physician's chamber followed by Randall.

Merlin stayed a little longer and brought Gaius up to date on just how dangerous it had been and how much thanks they owed to Rhylin for his prompt action. "Honestly, Gaius, I don't know how Treva managed to climb so far up the ladder."

"Arthur will probably tell you later but he did the same thing one day with Spenser, not up on the battlements but down below the drawbridge. Some careless labourer had left a ladder unattended during his lunch break and they were up it in a flash. Then they were stuck and guards had to haul them up to get them onto the bridge. Luckily, Uther was away but Sir Rupert and Sir Rodney gave them a talking to. I think they toed the line for maybe ten days and then they were at it again. It's part of growing up when you're a boy… Isn't it?" Gaius added grinning.

Merlin grinned, he'd got up to things which he had never told his mother but all he could think was that his exploits were never at the height of battlements above a castle courtyard. He walked back to their chambers and Arthur and Treva were in the solar. Arthur seated and Treva standing beside the hearth.

-0-0-

Treva was subdued and Arthur had waited for Merlin to get back before finding out the whole story. Neither of the adults showed any anger and that made it easier for Treva to finally tell them exactly what had happened.

As suspected, it had been initiated by the older grandson but Merlin explained that both Henry and Treva were in the wrong. As pages, they had been entrusted with a message to deliver to Sir Rook.

"Had you delivered it?" Merlin asked and when no answer was forthcoming he himself added, "No!" He looked at Treva saying, "What is the first thing about being a page?"

Treva glanced down and said quietly, "To be obedient and being trusted."

Arthur said, "Do you want to be a squire one day?" Treva's face lit up. Arthur continued, "Well, you have a lot to learn before that happens."

"But Demetrius said that he would take care of delivering the note."

"Had Lady Marian given the note to you and Henry, or to Demetrius?" Merlin asked.

"To us…" said Treva looking down at the rug.

"Tomorrow, you will apologise to the Ladies for not acting as pages and to Sir Rook for not delivering to him the message. It might have been very important."

Arthur patted the seat beside him and Treva came and squeezed in between the two of them.

"Now tell me, what did Demetrius say to make you agree to go up the stairs and then finally climb the ladder?"

Treva mumbled something but Merlin stopped him by saying, "I can't understand if you are going to mumble!"

"We went exploring in the attics. They wanted to go on the roof but I thought that the door would be padlocked and so did Henry…and they called us names saying that we would never be squires as we weren't brave and our parents would hate us."

Treva stopped dead and Merlin said, "…and then?"

Treva soon had tears running down his face, "…I told Henry that no one would ever feel that way about him especially his mother and father." He looked up at Merlin and said very quietly "They never feel that way about their children because they love them too much, don't they?"

Putting his arm around the boy's shoulders, Merlin whispered, "That's the way Arthur and I feel about you. But, then what happened?"

"Henry was crying and I hugged him and Demetrius was nasty and said, 'Another mother's boy!' But Darius laughed saying, "Oh, that's right, he doesn't have a mother, does he?' His brother thought that was so funny."

Merlin could feel that Arthur was getting more annoyed each minute.

"Then Demetrius said that I would never be a knight and something about things soon changing in Camelot. Henry was on the bottom step crying and I wanted you to be proud that I was brave, so I went up the stairs..."

Arthur glanced at Merlin when Treva had said that things were going to change in Camelot.

"I didn't mean to go out on the battlements because I knew that the door was padlocked…but it wasn't!"

"You know how dangerous it was up there…don't you?" Merlin said and Treva nodded. "Even for the guards and knights, it is very high up and it can be windy. Climbing the ladder was even more dangerous."

"Demetrius said that by climbing the ladder I could show Arthur that I was good enough to be his ward and he would be happy that I could do it."

Arthur said, "Well, you were able to climb it but coming down was harder and I think you owe Rhylin a big thank you...don't you? And another thing, you are already good enough to be my ward without climbing ladders. Come here!"

Treva moved closer to Arthur and put his arms around his neck and whispered, "And you will let me be a squire when the time comes?" Arthur nodded.

Merlin said, "Tomorrow, you will have a busy day with apologies and a thank you. But right now, I'm hungry and I think I heard Thomas coming to check on what we want for supper."

Arthur said, "Merlin, you can choose for the three of us." Merlin left the solar and Arthur turned to his ward and said, "You are a clever little boy however, don't let other boys force you into doing things which you know are dangerous. You know what Merlin and I would allow you to do and try to keep the rules. When you become a squire you will have even bigger responsibilities.

"You really frightened both of us. Now, promise me no more ladder climbing until you are a little older." Arthur kissed Treva's head and hugged him. "Randall is in the antechamber, he can now take you down to see Henry but you will be back here in time for supper, agreed?"

Treva gave him a big smile and said, "I promise!" and scampered down the corridor.

However, Arthur couldn't get out of his mind the grandson's statement that things were going to change in Camelot.

-0-0-

King Peter never approached Arthur concerning how rude Merlin had been to him in the courtyard or how Demetrius had said that the knights had all obeyed Merlin without any hesitation or how his grandsons had claimed they had been treated roughly by the knights. He knew the boys were in the wrong and he had been furious with Demetrius as he had shot any chance of being accepted into Camelot as a squire. Both of them had been caned by their father much to their mother's dismay.

Three days later, King Peter had apologised to Arthur for the misunderstanding between the boys and said that the following day, Princess Rosann would be returning to Montbus with her retinue and the boys would be accompanying her.

Arthur had nodded saying, "It might be for the best." He thought to himself, 'Shame the whole bloody lot of you can't go as well!'

-0-0-

Arthur was to visit an outlying village the following week and he had invited the king and the prince to accompany him. He was very proud of this village as they had overcome adversity which included bandits, a particularly debilitating disease last winter, a forest fire and a landslide which had practically wiped them out. However, with support from Camelot they had once again a thriving village of healthy people whom he knew would be pleased to see him. He sent a royal messenger to the headsman to advise him of the impending visit.

Trying to be the perfect host, he invited the king to ride beside him regretting that Merlin in his position as manservant to the king was relegated to the back of the group. In total, there were two reigning monarchs, one prince, ten Camelot knights, four Montbus knights and various guards, squires and servants.

The red and gold cloaks were predominant but the blue of Montbus showed up adequately. Arthur knew that the king was happy as he was very complimentary of the scenery and the many small villages they rode through.

Each village turned out to see their king with villagers along the road waving and cheering. Arthur decided that all the villages would be given extra food for Yuletide.

Merlin had laughed when Arthur had told him of his plan to show King Peter just how important he was as King of Camelot to his people. Riding along with the other menservants, Merlin let his mind wander, Iago going on a loose rein following the horse in front of him. What exactly had Demetrius been referring to about change, that was if Treva had heard him correctly.

The day was a success and on the way home King Peter kept harping back on how well the kingdom was run and hopefully that it would be so in future generations.

A shiver ran up Arthur's back. Why did he think that nearly everything the king said, was a double entendre? Gosh, he'd be glad to see his guests leave…only two more weeks left.


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27 : AN OPPORTUNITY MISSED**

Life progressed normally, with each day's passing Arthur breathed more easily.

One night, Arthur was hosting dinner in the throne room for the visiting king, whose son, male companions and knights were in attendance, as well as the usual Camelot group.

Merlin was once agin three feet behind Arthur's chair. Gaius had passed up on the festivities preferring to work in his chamber.

Thomas returned to the royal bedchamber surprised to find the door wan't actually locked tightly. It didn't seem to have been tampered with and he figured that maybe Merlin or Arthur had been in a hurry to leave and had just swung the door shut.

He entered and locked the door behind him. As Arthur was likely to bring back friends for a nightcap, he checked the sideboard for goblets and mead. He lit the fire to take away the chill of the evening and made his way to the bedchamber. He needed to light the coppers should Merlin or Arthur want to bathe and to light the fire which was already set in the hearth.

He drew the curtains on the bedchamber windows, then turned to check the bed covers and was shocked. Lying on the bed, dishevelled and certainly not suitably clothed was the Princess Petra. He pulled a light sheet over her naked legs and sat down at Arthur's table shaking.

He walked back to the bed and said, quite loudly, "Your Royal Highness, are you all right?" Nothing! He could hear her breathing but she didn't wake up.

His first thought was to get Merlin but then he remembered hearing rumours which seemed to suggest that the only reason the king had visited was to snare Arthur for his daughter. He decided instead to get in touch with Humphrey, the Lord Chamberlain's assistant who had been Arthur's manservant and who would know what to do. He carefully locked the chambers and left.

Humphrey listened to him open-mouthed, then together they went to get Gaius and explained the situation.

Gaius picked up his bag and followed them. He listened to the girl's breathing and tried to rouse her but could not. He turned to the others and said quietly, "Gentlemen, she has been drugged, I am sure of that."

Thomas looked surprised, "But why would somebody do this?"

"Someone hoping that Arthur might come back drunk and go to bed not realising that he had company. The perpetrators could come later, insisting that the princess was missing and finding her in bed with him, King Peter to save her honour would demand that Arthur marry her."

Humphrey and Thomas both were shocked. Gaius continued shaking his head, "Guess they hadn't counted on Merlin's position in Arthur's life! However, it is good that we are here first so that neither Merlin nor Arthur are involved."

"I think we need to move carefully," said Thomas, "The best thing would be for Arthur not to know about this. To stop negative rumours, we need to have some women watch over her until we decide what we are going to…"

Humphrey interrupted him saying, "I would recommend Lady Xanthe Leon's wife, Sir Rodney's wife the Lady Jayne and maybe, Caedrik's wife Lady Catherine. They are respectable woman and can sit with the princess to vouch for her virtue."

Gaius said, "They are suitable choices but I would feel better, letting Merlin know. He's standing behind Arthur at supper and could slip out unnoticed. He really needs to be notified, even if we wait to tell Arthur."

Humphrey said, "Thomas, get Merlin, only tell him about the princess problem once you are in the royal corridor. We don't know who did this or if they are hiding nearby."

Thomas nodded as Gaius added, "Then ask Sir Rodney and the ladies we mentioned to join us here."

Thomas left; as the door was closed Humphrey turner to Gaius and said, " Have you heard the rumours circulating that King Peter has his eyes on Arthur as his son-in-law?"

Gaius nodded, "Yes, Sir Geoffrey and I felt that was a possibility after their arrival. The father and son seemed to be in cahoots." They sat there waiting anxiously.

Merlin was the first to arrive, bursting into the chambers and racing to the bedchamber, they heard him say, "Fucking Hell!" Before dashing back to them saying, "You've got to get her out of here!"

Humphrey said, "More importantly, we have to stop Arthur from returning here tonight. It would be best if he left the castle until the girl is returned to her parents."

Sir Rodney and his wife arrived. She was shown into the bedchamber and sat beside the girl who was still dead to the world. Lady Jayne said, "Poor mite, what a life she must lead!" Her maidservant had come with her and soon they were joined by Lady Xanthe, Lady Catherine and their maidservants.

Gaius was satisfied that with the women in attendance no accusations could be made. He turned to Merlin and said, "We have to alert Arthur that he must _not_ come to these chambers until tomorrow. I will write a short note explaining things."

"But you know Arthur, he is so bull-headed that once he hears about it, he'll be up here in a flash and try to takeover..."

"You'll have to tell him the basics but put emphasis on the fact that if he steps inside this chamber tonight, he'll by married by Yuletide!"

Merlin's face dropped as he realised the seriousness of the statement.

They finally got on paper what they needed to tell Arthur. "Take the note to him," said Gaius, "…and do whatever is needed to make sure that he understands the significance of the situation, that is unless he wants King Peter as his father-in-law and the whole family living here permanently…"

Sir Rodney added, "It is imperative that he leaves directly from the throne room and is seen leaving the castle. I will arrange for horses to be in the courtyard within fifteen minutes. If King Peter could accompany him to the stairs above the courtyard that would be better. I'm sure this girl was put here after the supper had started. This way if he doesn't come anywhere near here, he can't be accused of anything."

-0-0-

Merlin returned to the throne room and slipped around the walls until unnoticed by King Peter, he could assume his position behind Arthur. The meal was interrupted by the guards throwing the doors open for Humphrey's entrance. He announced that he had an important missive for King Arthur. There was an expectant chatter around the room.

Merlin stepped forward and took the note handing it to Arthur at the same time whispering, "Arthur, don't cock this up!"

Arthur's brow furrowed as he read...

DO NOT GO to your bed chamber

Princess is in your bed

Say there's an emergency and leave immediately

Horses will be in the courtyard

Insist that King Peter goes to courtyard to see you off!

Arthur stood and announced, "There is an emergency…Leon I'm leaving you in charge. Romney, Spenser and Aislin you will attend me. We leave immediately, the horses will be in the courtyard in no time. Gawaine, notify Thomas that I have left the castle." He turned to King Peter, "Your Majesty, please accompany me to the front stairs!"

Merlin watched carefully and saw the King Peter glance at the prince and raise his eyebrows slightly before saying, "Certainly, Arthur. Maybe you can give me an idea of the emergency."

Arthur turned back to him saying, "Some of the Camelot knights stationed near Ealdor have been attacked. The attack is over but the fatalities and injuries are great. The village causes us quite a lot of trouble; unsavoury people have been living there for ages."

Merlin almost burst out laughing, trust Arthur to get carried away.

Arthur continued, "Tomorrow the guards will ride there and settle the insurgents but I need to leave now to get there as soon as possible."

'Worth an Oscar!' Merlin thought.

They had reached the door and Arthur bid farewell to the king, descended the stairs, mounted and literally escaped through the portcullis.

-0-0-

Sir Rodney in the meantime had decided that the princess should be moved. Humphrey suggested that she could be carried down the private staircase that led to the chambers reserved for a queen on the floor below. The three ladies present agreed that that would be a more suitable place for her than in Arthur's bed.

Thomas took some of the linens and covers from Arthur's chamber to make up the bed.

He went down the stairs to build a fire to take the damp and chill out of the empty room. He watched the wives of the knights fussing, deciding that they were thriving on the excitement and determined to save their king from any scandal.

Sir Leon arrived accompanied by Gawaine who had found Thomas and learned of the plot.

The ladies wrapped Princess Petra in blankets and she was carried downstairs by Sir Leon and left with the ladies who made her as comfortable as possible in the queen's bedchamber.

Gaius thought that King Peter might have seen the humour in that even though his plan had failed.

The men sat around the dining table in Arthur's chambers. Gawaine couldn't believe what he was witnessing and he had thought that a night with a landlord's wife was excitement.

"Now what do we do?" asked Gaius. The alternatives were discussed. If they all left by the secret staircase, leaving Arthur's chambers empty, it was possibly that those involved realising that their plan had back-fired, would come back to get the princess.

Sir Leon said that his wife had suggested the Queen Faerian be told and asked to come to her daughter. They all agreed that the queen would be shocked and surprised at what had happened.

They then tried to figure out who was involved, hadn't the princess's maid servant realised she was missing? What about that Lady Florence her companion? Where both she and he husband Lord Willis involved?"

Humphrey acknowledged, "Rumours had been rampant among the castle staff, however aren't they always?"

The others nodded. Deep down no one was really surprised that this had happened. There had been too many clues of how much King Peter would welcome such a relationship.

Sir Rodney said that he felt sure that the king and the prince were involved as he had noticed the look the king had given the prince when Arthur had announced his departure.

Leon mentioned, "The grandsons according to Graham's son Henry have been hinting at being here over Yuletide and wanting separate chambers and their own menservants like Treva. There was no love between them and Treva, they just caused him heart-ache."

The plans were made, the fire was left burning in the hearth in the bedchamber and the night candle lit at the bottom of the bed. Gaius nipped into the manservant's room and dumped some of Merlin's belongings on the shelf and ruffled the bedclothes as if it had been made hurriedly that morning. Just in case, someone decided to search the chambers to find the missing princess.

One by one, they walked down the private staircase to the Queen's Quarters. Rodney returned to his own chambers, Gaius went in again to check the princess. Humphrey went to tell the Lord Chamberlain what had happened.

Gaius asked Thomas to stay overnight in the queen's chamber with him, and the ladies were pleased to have company. The rooms though clean were empty and forlorn. Thomas went down to the kitchens and brought up some fruit, sweet cakes and ale. It was going to be a long night for everyone.

Gawaine had been asked to stay in the Arthur's chambers. He hid in a partially opened wardrobe in a dark corner of the bedchamber with an unimpeded view of not only the empty bed but of the door. He was there solely as an observer, Sir Rodney had forbidden him from challenging the perpetrators. He sat on a stool in the wardrobe and waited.

Sir Leon walked back to the throne room where some of the knights were still drinking. He asked Sirs Caedrik, Gavin, Rook and Simon to step outside. He took them to Sir Rodney's chambers and everything was laid on the table. The knights were shocked. The duty, they were given, was to remain hidden near the royal chambers and to apprehend any person or persons leaving the royal chambers. There were not to interfere with anyone entering the chambers, just leaving.

They left to take up their stations in corridor recesses, behind tapestries and in deep doorways.

-0-0-

As Merlin was leaving the courtyard riding next to Arthur he yelled over the noise of the horseshoes on the cobble stones, "My Mam will be very surprised at the activity that is going on in her village…"

Arthur laughed saying, "It was the only name of a village that I could think of off the top of my head." Then he turned serious, "Did you see the princess?"

"Yes, I went in with Gaius. She looked fast asleep and Gaius had covered her with a sheet. He thinks she'd been drugged and it looked like that to me. He couldn't rouse her even calling her name.

"The wives of Rodney, Leon and Caedrik were with her and their maidservants with them, making many reputable witnesses. I think they will take her to the Queen's Quarters below our chambers and wait there until she wakes up. By the way, where are we going?"

"Don't know, I thought that must have been your decision as I was only told to get out, making sure the king saw me leaving. I did my bit…"

"…and admirably so, I must say! How about the hunting lodge? It's not too far and will be an easy ride. Thank God, for the full moon. I'll nip back early tomorrow morning and check with Gaius. You will stay away until it's all sorted and someone comes to get you."

"Bossy as usual!" said Arthur with a grin as he pulled up his horse and Merlin explained to the others what he had seen first hand and why they were accompanying the king to the hunting lodge in the middle of the night. They were shocked.

'The saying, safety in numbers covers many eventualities, even in some instances proof of innocence,' Merlin thought hoping it would be so in this case.

-0-0-

The knights were hidden in the corridor outside the royal chambers. The wall sconces were still lit casting sufficient light. Hours later, softly along the corridor came the shuffling sound of someone trying the walk quietly. Each knight was conscious of the presence amongst them.

Caedrik was able to spy between the tapestry fringe and the stone wall, two figures of medium height draped in what looked like dark hooded capes. Gavin was the next to pick them out as they walked by the recessed doorway where he was hidden. He knew that in four strides they would reach Arthur's chambers. He realised that they were not making any noise on the flagstones so they possibly had coverings on their boots.

Rook who was watching from along the corridor, also picked out the figures and noticed that one of the men was bearded. The other has a peculiar hitch in his step which he felt he had seen recently but when and where, he didn't remember.

Suddenly, Simon noticed that someone was approaching from the other end of the corridor. He hoped it wasn't one of the regular members of the staff going about castle business. This might frighten off the other two men. This tall cloaked figure was followed by another slightly smaller man, walked to Arthur's door where they waited for the other two men. They nodded at each other but made no noise.

In horror, Simon saw the taller man whom he was sure he recognised reach under his cloak and remove an iron key which he fitted in the lock on the outer door to the royal chambers. The door swung open as easily as it would have for Thomas.

The four men entered the antechamber and quietly closed the door behind them.

-0-0-

Gawaine heard the door to the bedchamber rattle as the outer door had been opened and then closed. He froze.

He waited…finally he heard quiet voices and the door to the bedchamber opened. There was a gasp of surprise and the men hurried to surround the bed.

"Where is she?"

"Search the whole place for her, the drug mustn't have lasted long enough! Damn that Arthur and his emergency!" Without even looking Gawaine recognised the speaker as Prince Paul.

The another three men left the room and Gawaine could hear doors being opened through the royal quarters and furniture being shoved aside. He could see when the men returned from their search that they each held a lit lantern. They had come prepared.

The men stood in front of the hearth and talked quietly. Gawaine picked out various swear words and then the tall man said more loudly, "The King will be furious! He trusted us, this was to be a lifeline for our family and we royally fucked it up."

"…or rather King Arthur did," said one man.

The third man said, "She can't have gone far. She doesn't even know this area of the castle she probably came to and walked away. If she's still sleepy, she'll have curled up somewhere, stupid girl!"

"I'll have you know that that is my sister you are talking about, Willis!"

Gawaine smiled to himself, 'Two down and two to go!" He wasn't surprised to have identified the brother and the husband of the princess's companion.

The prince turned to one of the shorter man, "You know this place where is a good hiding place nearby?"

"Sire, I have never been on this floor. My job was always below the main stairs."

"Well," said Willis the husband of the Princess's companion, "A lot of good you turned out to be! "

"I was only supposed to get you and the prince up to this floor safely, no one told me about the plan involving these chambers."

The second man who had until then not said anything stated, "Think of it as a battle strategy. We need to find the missing person as there is yet time within the next few weeks to try again. Cousin, I want to gain from this mismatched marriage but I won't be able to if all you do is argue."

"You're right, Neville. Recoup our losses and try again," said the prince. "First we find the princess, get her back to her quarters and plan again for next week."

Gawaine's heart dropped as he heard Willis say, "The easiest way would be to take out that insufferable manservant. He was so rude to King Peter and he got away with it. I would have had him dismissed immediately and killed even. He constantly shadows the king."

Paul said, "Has it ever struck you, Idiot, that that might be his job?"

Gawaine understood that Paul's failure to find his sister was getting the better of him.

Willis ignored him and said, "One more sweep of these chambers and then we'll have to look further afield and hope we find her before daylight. Stan, you go ahead and search the corridor and any unlocked rooms…and stay out of the way of the guards."

Gawaine thought, 'Prince Paul, Sir Willis and Cousin Neville and a man called Stan.' He could hear them re-checking the other chambers and someone checking the curtains around the bed, the arras and the window in the bedchamber where he was hiding.

"Anybody checked the water closet?" No once answered so the Prince said, "Imbeciles!" and took it upon himself. Gawaine realised that he was going to walk maybe three feet away from him and he was suddenly conscious of his dagger in its sheaf. He'd be doing not only Arthur but also Merlin a favour if he dispatched him right then and there. However, he remembered Sir Rodney's orders and allowed the man to pass freely.

He heard feet shuffling and then the door to the antechamber, opened and closed. He then heard raised voices and left his position quickly hoping that he had not missed too much of the action.

-0-0-

Caedrik had moved closer to the door once the four men had entered the quarters and joined Gavin in his recessed doorway.

"Did you recognise anyone?" Caedrik shook his head and Gavin added, "Me neither!"

Caedrik peeked out into the corridor and saw Rook, he beckoned him and he crept further towards them crouching down beside a heavy wooden chest in the corridor. He took one of the candlesticks on the chest and reaching up, lit it in the flame of the wall sconce. He then returned it to the top of the chest and remained crouched.

Simon sidled down the corridor until he was stationed to the left of the prince's door. In the subdued light and flickering shadows from the sconces, he seemed to blend into the stonework.

The men froze when after what seemed like hours, they heard the door click open. One figure walked out alone and turned so he would pass by Rook. As the man got to the chest, Rook sprang up and the man fell like stone. "Sorry," said Rook quietly, "But you probably deserve the head ache you'll soon have." He dragged the man off and dumped him without ceremony against the wall.

The knights waited; they froze as the door opened a second time and the taller man backed out. He didn't know what hit him as Simon smashed a metal candle stick across the back of his neck. He paused grinning at Gavin and Caedrik and said in a stage whisper, "Arthur, two—Peter nil.

The next two coming out were talking, Gavin heard the words Paul and Willis. One stopped to lock the door again and the other waited patiently beside him.

Gavin looked at Caedrik and nodded, they both stepped out of the shadows and ran at the men, smashing one into the wooden door and the other into the stonework where he slithered to the ground unconscious.

The other man stunned remained upright but Simon dove for his knees and he dropped.

Rook walked over and sat on the struggling man's chest. "Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty!" he said with rancour.

The door to Arthur's chamber opened and a disappointed Gawaine walked out, for a second the men were on their toes but as they saw the face of their friend, they smiled.

"You missed the whole match, said Simon with a grin, "Arthur, four—Peter nil!


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28 : ABSENCE PRECLUDES BLAME**

No one slept that night at the hunting lodge, they sat around the fire trying to think if they had missed clues which could have stopped this evening's troubles. Their saddle bags had contained bread, cheese and ale but no one thought about eating, they just drank the ale.

Arthur told them about his conversation in the garden with the king, "I didn't think it would lead to this." Merlin slipped his arm around his waist and agreed that they had frequently been glances between the king and his son.

Spenser nodded and mentioned that he had on a few occasions noticed the prince in deep conversation with Willis the husband of the princess's companion the Lady Florence. "He kept glancing over his shoulder as if something was in the works. I didn't think about it...I wish I had."

"What a despicable thing to do to a young girl! She's quite sweet and my sister likes her. Seems she's really shy..." said Aislin.

Merlin realised he had never thought about it from the princess's perspective. She was governed by the wishes of her father and brother, a frightened pawn to be played by her father the king.

"Can't say that anyone likes the king even Gaius, Geoffrey and the senior knights try to keep out of his way..." Arthur said, adding, "…and don't get me going about those two grandsons of his."

The others nodded. Romney said, "Their family has effectually signed its tickets to depart Camelot." He yawned before adding, "I guess we can sleep in late."

"Not me!" said Merlin, "I intend to go back early to see what happened overnight. Arthur has to stay until the all clear. I'm now going to get a couple of hours sleep. Dawn will be here soon…"

-0-0-

Gawaine stood in the corridor surveying the scene before him and shaking his head. None of the knights had been injured which couldn't be said for their victims, therefore he left to get the guards. It had been decided that until Sir Rodney and Leon had spoken to the four men their captors would not question them.

Prince Paul tried to throw his weight around insisting he was a royal and deserved special treatment but as he was tied up, he could do little more than complain and fight his bonds. Neville his cousin glared at him and said under his breath, "You and your Father!"

Rook said, "Shut up, the two of you! Anything you want to say, you can tell Arthur when he comes back!"

The four men were marched to the dungeons, formally identified before being thrown in cells, family members in one, the other two men in an adjacent one.

Once the knights had handed over their prisoners, they met with Leon and Sir Rodney for an update.

Leon said, "The Princess Petra is still being looked after by the Ladies. Gaius sent news that she is coming around and is now sleeping. King Peter retired to his quarters after Arthur left and hasn't been out since. Unknown to him, there are guards on the staircase leading to their accommodations. All his staff, save his manservant have been moved elsewhere. Queen Faerian is also in her chambers probably ignorant of anything which had been planned but she is under guard for her safety. In the morning, she will be told about her daughter and reunited with her."

"Where did Arthur spend last night?" asked Simon.

Sir Rodney said, "We don't know but the horses were carrying saddlebags and bedrolls. I doubt that he is too far away. I expect Merlin back early tomorrow morning. Why don't we all turn in, get a few hours rest and meet again around midmorning in the throne room? By then, Leon and I intend to speak with Willis and the man who obviously used to work in Camelot. We'll leave Arthur to question the prince and his cousin."

-0-0-

Arthur and Merlin were left alone in front of the fire when the Knights who had accompanied them retired.

Arthur looked up and said, "I wouldn't have touched her…"

Merlin took his hand, "I know you wouldn't have."

"I would probably have run screaming from the room…" Arthur continued with a sad smile.

"But in that situation, the fact that you had entered your chambers, would have been enough for flags to be raised. You wouldn't have had a leg to stand on."

Arthur nodded, "Whoever's behind this knows how these things usually turn out. Situations like this result in forced marriages. We've even had it happen here. Luckily the forced wedding didn't unduly bother the couple as they were already in love…"

"You're lucky that Thomas realised what was happening. Let's face it, Arthur, he saved your skin! He certainly needs a day off!"

"That and more...'" He stood and walked to their chamber behind the fireplace.

Merlin followed knowing that they wouldn't sleep but he just wanted to stretch out and try to get his mind around what had happened. "I feel sorry for the princess. The king's determined for her to make a marriage of convenience...for him that is, not for his daughter."

Arthur nodded, "In the old days, girls were often shipped off to other royal families as children. They were brought up by their future husband's family. No by your leave, nothing...out you go and if the girl was lucky, they would allow a nursemaid or a maid servant known to the girl to accompany her. Not much of a life!

"I know that in Camelot, arranged marriages and betrothals have been done for years among the knights' families...at least the girls stay with their own families until they are of age to get married. I also know that for many girls their lives have been mapped out for them as soon as they are born."

Arthur had seen some of the older knights planning advantageous marriages for their daughters, some happy but many heartbreakingly sad.

He thought of his own life. He had managed to thwart every effort of his father to marry him off. "I know that if I had been a girl, by the time I was fourteen, I would have been shipped off to another kingdom, to an unknown family with a strange prince as my husband."

"I'm glad that didn't happen, Arthur, as I wouldn't have known where to find you!"

Arthur smiled and turned to Merlin saying, "No choice, no discussion! I would have been escorted out of Camelot never to return again unless possibly as a guest with my in-laws. The fathers and often the mothers were determined for their daughters to make a marriages of convenience, for them that is, not her."

"But what about love."

"What's love got to do with it, Merlin? These matches were planned politically for the resulting favourable treaties and alliances. Some of the individuals might have fallen in love but who knows."

"Can you imagine being forced to spend your life living in close quarters with someone you fear or dislike. I would just have gone home."

"If you even had a home to go to. Your family wouldn't want you back as you would have embarrassed them. You would have broken a contract which had been made in good faith."

"Well, my mother wouldn't turn me away!"

Arthur grinned at Merlin's simplistic understanding of arranged marriages. He wondered what he would have done if he had had to marry the princess. One thing for certain, she would have had her own quarters downstairs in the Queen's Chambers and unless he had been physically forced, he would not have fulfilled any marital duties.

Merlin was his choice and no one not even a princess was going to get between them,

He thought, 'Thank God for Thomas, Humphrey and Gaius!' Due to their quick thinking, he was safe with friends and quite looking forward to finding out what King Peter had to say for himself.

In no time, it was dawn and Merlin was leaving to go back to Camelot. Arthur got up as well and insisted that Aislin accompany him, "Merlin, you don't know what has happened in the meantime and as my manservant you might be implicated. I'd rather you had a knight with you. Remember that as far as King Peter and Paul are concerned, you are my manservant."

"I'll be careful. I'll keep my eyes downcast and my mouth shut."

"The only time you keep your mouth shut, Merlin, is when you are asleep. Don't get involved just speak with Leon or Rodney. I'd rather be going back with you, but until I'm notified that the princess is out of my chambers and everything has settled down. I will stay here as commanded but only till noon, this afternoon I will be at the Old Roman Bridge and wait there for news from the castle."

Merlin looked at him, "…as commanded..." he said before continuing, "That for you, Arthur, is a stretch of the imagination."

"Well, you know what I mean, I'll stay safe and sound out of harm's way. I want to be able to send that damned family packing. I wonder if Leon and Rodney have found out anything else?"

-0-0-

Gaius in his position as Court Physician approached the queen and as delicately as possible explained that her daughter had been found drugged in the king's chambers. Her hand had flown to her mouth in dismay. He had assured her that her daughter was safe with some of the Ladies of the Court and that she was unharmed.

"How did that happen?" Queen Faerian asked, "We had an early supper in my chambers with Lady Florence and shortly after, the Princess said that she wanted to turn in early as she felt tired. Her companion and her maidservant went with her. Lady Florence came back later and said that she had left her asleep in bed and we sat by the fire talking until I was ready to turn in…" She shook her head in disbelief, "I even remember that we were talking about how I first met my husband when I was very young and how our marriage was arranged by my father's and my father-in-law's councils."

Gaius said, "I went to the king's chambers once she had been found by King Arthur's manservant and have been with her the whole time until Lady Jayne the wife of Sir Rodney arrived. I don't think your daughter will remember anything as she is still asleep."

The Queen nodded, "Lady Jayne is a very kind woman, I am glad that my daughter is safe with her…" The Queen blushed and continued, "…and King Arthur?"

"King Arthur is not even in the castle he was called away on an emergency. He was with your husband the King and left from the throne room. Madame, I assure you that your daughter's virtue was not compromised in any way." He paused and said, "I think when she wakes up she will remember nothing more than feeling tired and getting into bed."

The Queen nodded, "May I see her?"

"I will take you to her immediately, she is at the moment in a chamber on the floor below the King's chambers. Sir Leon carried her there in the company of three ladies. Once you have seen her you might like to bring her to your own chambers. I'm sorry that I cannot vouch for her maidservant as we have no idea where she is. I presume Lady Florence is in her chambers.

"With her husband Sir Willis, probably…!"

Gaius told her nothing. He wanted that information to come from Leon not himself.

The Queen went with her maidservant to change into something more suitable for walking the corridors and returned finally to her sitting room. Gaius extended his arm and she took it. She looked scared and frightened, so he said, "Your Majesty, you will feel better when you see your beloved daughter."

The two of them were accompanied by three young knights which Leon had felt would be better than guards. Gaius walked into the chamber where the princess was and the three ladies arose. As he was accompanied by the Queen of Montbus, they curtsied and Lady Jayne went forward to lead the Queen to her daughter's side. The poor woman fell on her knees sobbing. Her daughter still under the influence of the drug didn't know that her mother had come to save her.

Sir Rodney had decided that if the Queen wished that her daughter be returned to her chambers, Sir Leon as Arthur's representative that night should be present.

When Gaius had told the Queen that her sleeping daughter might be moved, he had suggested a litter. The Queen nodded and the princess was wrapped once again in blankets and Sir Leon escorted the litter carried by the young knights, to the Queen's chambers in the tower occupied by the Montbus family. Princess Petra never stirred.

Strangely, the Queen never asked about her son nor her husband.

Gaius smiled to himself thinking, 'I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall when the Queen gets around to questioning King Peter and her son Paul.'

-0-0-

Later that morning, King Peter upon realising that he was confined to his quarters, asked to see Arthur.

Leon went to see him accompanied by Sir Rodney and Gaius in his official capacity as Court Physician. Keeping calm and detached, Leon explained that King Arthur had not returned to Camelot. He briefly told him what had transpired and mentioned that those involved were now in custody .

The king feigned surprise but failed miserably.

Neither Leon nor Rodney challenged his involvement with the plot but just stated the facts: those involved were in the dungeons and his daughter was with Queen Faerian.

"You have no right to keep me confined to my chambers. I demand the guards on my door are withdrawn and I have freedom of the castle!"

Leon explained that all the Montbus knights and attendants were confined to their quarters. "I expect King Arthur to return before the day is out and he will, I am certain wish to see you. Until then, please cooperate and remain here. You meals will be provided and anything that you wish will be delivered to you."

"I am not one of your subordinates. I am the King! I demand justice!"

Sir Rodney cut in saying, "Sir Leon explained the situation and unless you want to join your son in the dungeons, I advise that you remain here."

"I wish to see my wife."

Leon said, "We will let the Queen know that you have requested that she visit you."

Gaius thought, 'Best of luck!'

-0-0-

Merlin put in an appearance midmorning. He went directly to Gaius's as he felt that he would have all the information he required.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up. How's Arthur? Climbing the walls, I expect. Have you had any breakfast."

"Arthur is itching to get home and I had a little something before I left."

"Where did you spend the night?"

"At the hunting lodge…"

"That's good then everyone was able to get a good night's sleep."

"Maybe some of them did but Arthur and I hardly slept a wink"

Gaius looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Gaius, you are incorrigible...! Arthur couldn't shut up. He kept running over the whole mess and then I got at least one lecture on the customs and traditions of marriage contacts and then another on what would have happened to him if he had been a girl instead of a boy. He realises how lucky he was to escape the set-up."

"Thomas should be congratulated on his quick thinking as he might have sent word that Arthur should return to his quarters. Luckily, he thought of Humphrey first. Many a man owes his life and his reputation to a trusty manservant."

"What has happened since I've been away?"

"They caught four men going into Arthur's chambers obviously to retrieve the princess but she was already downstairs. They were apprehended and placed in the dungeons: the prince, his cousin Neville, Sir Willis as well as a fellow called Stan.

"Princess Petra is with her mother and the King is confined to his quarters, not very happily, I might add. When Leon and Sir Rodney explained the reason he tried to pretend to be surprised, however he wasn't very convincing.

"I checked up on the princess an hour ago and she was awake and having breakfast, with no bad reactions to whatever she was given. However, her mother isn't trusting any of the princess's maids but insists on remaining with her. I would think that it is safe for Arthur to return, but you should check with Leon."

"Arthur said that mid-afternoon he would be at the Old Roman Bridge and wait there until someone comes to notify him to return. He's being rather careful but I think the whole situation shocked him."

"I should think so! Go and find Leon and then someone can go to meet Arthur."

Merlin stood saying, "I'll go myself as then I can bring him up to date on the current situation on the way back." He left the room in search of Leon.

Gaius stood there thinking, 'As hard as it was to rule a kingdom, there were some things which were certainly unexpected.'

-0-0-

Arthur, Spenser and Romney, dismounted at the bridge, Romney took the horses down to the river and gave them a chance to drink until they started throwing the water in the air with their muzzles and pawing at the water which he knew was preliminary to lying down. No one needed wet saddles at this point. He laughed at Gulpha when he saw her start to position her legs under her body and knew that the next minute, she would be down, he pulled up her head to get her attention saying, "No, you don't!"

He smiled to himself, he had only once been caught out by a horse going down intentionally while being watered in a lake. He had been with Gielbert, Arthur and Piers and they were so busy talking that he had his back to old Billy and he had gone down much to the amusement of the others. He ended up laughing as well but annoyed as Gielbert and he were squires supposedly watching over the young prince and Piers who happened to be Spenser's older brother.

Of course, the event wasn't kept secret and the Squire Master had taken him to task as if he wasn't paying enough attention to what his horse was doing when he was standing beside him, how much attention had he been paying to the safety of the prince? His father Sir Calder hadn't found it that funny but his mother Lady Hester had been amused and afterwards referred to his Billy as The Water Baby.

He came back to the present when he heard hoofbeats approaching. He led the horses back up to the road and saw Merlin and Gregory.

-0-0-

As they rode back to the castle. Merlin brought Arthur up to date on what had transpired. Sir Rodney had told him to convey to the king that the men in the dungeons apart from Stan had refused to talk. Stan once he was taken to another area had quite happily told Sir Rodney, how he had been approached to lead the three men to Arthur's quarters. Neville had already secured a key and Prince Paul carried a women whom he found out later was the Princess. He led them along the corridor and had stood in the antechamber but the others had gone into the bedchamber and then the four of them had left.

When asked, he confessed that he knew of the royal quarters as he had worked as a labourer in Camelot until he had been let go two years earlier. He'd returned to a village near Montbus as his mother was one of the women who helped the princess's maidservant. She must have talked about her son's Camelot connection and he was approached by the man Willis to enter his employ.

"Did they tell you what they had planned?"

"No, Sir, I didn't even know who was wrapped in the blankets until afterwards. They had then gone to supper with King Arthur and I returned to the kitchens for a meal. I was sitting talking in the servants' quarters when Sir Willis' manservant came to get me, telling me that Sir Willis needed me again.

"I was asked to take them back to the royal quarters which I did. They seemed on edge but said nothing. They couldn't find whatever they were looking for and after searching the chambers left and then…." He'd run out of information so quietly added, "Then, Sir, you know what happened. Please don't put me back in the cell with Sir Willis. He'll know I have told you everything."

Sir Rodney nodded and told one of the guards to take the man to another area of the dungeon, adding, "Keep an eye on him, he's no real threat but we need him as a witness. See that he gets food and water."

Rodney knew that the other three would be harder to crack but every man has a breaking point when he will confess. All he had to do was to find the chink in each one's armour.

When he saw Leon, he had told him that he believed the next one who should be pressured into confessing was Sir Neville, Prince Paul's cousin.

Arthur was satisfied with Merlin's report. They would return to the castle posthaste.


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29 : ROYALTY FACE TO FACE**

Without knocking, Merlin opened the door allowing Arthur to enter King Peter's chamber then he stood inside against the wall. The king sitting at his table jumped up saying, "How dare you enter my chambers without my permission!"

"Permission?" said Arthur coldly, "These are my chambers! You are a guest in my kingdom, in my castle and as such are expected to act accordingly!"

King Peter puffed up and tried to interrupt, "Your father Uther would never...!"

"My father is dead! He would never...I say never have condoned your treatment of a female member of the family." It cost him to say that as he was not absolutely sure what Uther would possibly have done.

"I am now the King and as such insist that you explain to me how your daughter was in my bedchambers and according to my staff drugged."

King Peter said, "It had nothing to do with me!"

"So, you would have been quite happy for me to have spent the night with your daughter?"

"If you had wished that, I would not have apposed the idea…I would have accepted it!" said the king.

"Well, not only did I _not_ wish for that but for appearance sake I never set foot anywhere beyond your view once the news was given to me in a note from Sir Rodney and Gaius. I remained with you at supper and you walked me to the courtyard when I left. The note I received told me all I needed to know and for that very reason, I spent the night away from the castle.

"I did not appreciate your plan to ensnare me. Your daughter I'm sure is a lovely young lady and deserves better treatment than your family offered her.

"I do not understand the mind of a man who would submit one of his children to such a degrading plan. You and your son or anyone else planning or supporting such an idea has questionable morals.

"The Princess Petra is _your_ daughter yet you used her as a bargaining piece. I know about arranged marriages but this was not arranged by both parties and your treatment of her was despicable."

The Montbus King had enough sense to keep his mouth closed.

"Sir Rodney and Gaius notified some of the knights' wives and they came to her aid, keeping her company in a safe place other than my bedchamber until her mother was notified. She is now in her mother's chambers."

"My wife knows?" said King Peter shocked, "Why? I'm the Head of the Family! I make all the decisions. Women are the second class citizens of all kingdoms." He huffed and puffed, "I make all the plans for my people..."

Arthur found this funny as King Peter had no people to speak of, just a smattering of staff, a mismatched bunch at that. Arthur also took offence at his references to second class citizens. He knew from his childhood that his father had many faults but he had valued his mother until the day she died and mourned her for the remaining years of his life.

Gaius had taught Arthur as a child to respect everyone and some of the teachings had stuck. He'd loved his nursemaids and the cooks who made such exciting things to eat. Menservants and maidservants were important for clean chambers and clothes. Grooms took care of your horses, Knights fought for your safety and their wives taught you how to be nice to people.

King Peter was chunnering on about his rights as an absolute ruler and Arthur let him. He was sick and tired of trying to get this man to see that his behaviour had been highly inappropriate.

Sadly, he realised that he had lied to King Peter as Uther would possibly have condoned the king's treatment of his daughter. He would have felt that what he had done was acceptable because the man needed to advance his families' prospects and guarantee their future as royalty.

Arthur realised that not once had the man denied that he'd known what was going on. He knew, he had probably come up with the idea and his flunkies had carried out the plan.

"You will remain here until your son and his friends have been questioned. You will then be asked to vacate these quarters and return to Montbus. No one will impede your departure…

"I leave you now as I must visit Her Majesty The Queen. She will be free to visit you once I have spoken to her."

Arthur shifted his weight and half turned, stopped and looked at the man who was now seated at the table and said sympathetically, "You have time to prepare yourself mentally before your wife arrives. I believe she will see right through all your excuses…"

Merlin allowed the door to slam as he followed Arthur into the corridor, King Peter had had a glimpse of the knights guarding him and he shuddered…the last person he wanted to face was his wife.

-0-0-

Merlin walked with Arthur to their quarters.

Arthur said, "I need a few minutes to get my head straight before I see the queen."

"Well, Thomas has water heated if you wish to bathe. Why don't you get cleaned up? Change into something fresh and have something to eat. The queen will not be going anywhere. I also think it would be courteous of you to notify her that you intend to visit. She's had a bad night and might be resting. Would you like me to send a page?"

"No, go yourself! Tell whomever is with the Queen…it's possibly one of the knights' wives…that I will be coming to visit her in two hours. In the meantime, I'll bathe and change. I don't even know if she will be willing to see me. I told her husband, poor man, that his wife might visit before supper." He turned to start getting undressed but added, "Come straight back as I want to make supper arrangements."

Merlin walked to the door and said, "I'd like Gaius to be with us at supper if that is all right."

Arthur nodded and Merlin left.

A maidservant opened the door to the queen's chambers and left to get one of the ladies. Merlin gave Arthur's message to Lady Catherine, Leon's wife and said that he'd wait for a response.

Lady Catherine returned shortly to say that the queen would be willing to see Arthur. "I think she will be uncomfortable after what her husband has done and what might have happened if Thomas hadn't stepped in. He'll be kind with her won't her, Merlin?"

Merlin smiles, "I can assure you, My Lady, that Arthur will be on his best behaviour. Queen Faerian will have nothing to worry about. How is the princess?"

"Still pretty confused as to what all the fuss is about as she remembers nothing more than retiring to her own bed and awakening to find herself in her mother's chambers with her mother sitting beside her."

"I will pass that on to Arthur and he will probably be here before dusk."

-0-0-

Returning to his quarters, Merlin saw that the sideboard was laden with plattersof food and the small table in their bedchamber had been set.

Arthur walked out of the water closet wrapped in a towel and walked across to the hearth. "The fire in there isn't giving much heat, so I came here to air-dry."

Merlin grinned, memories flooded his mind of the innumerable times that Arthur's air-drying had ended up with them on the bed. But today, he suggested nothing and went to choose something for Arthur to wear. By the time he was dressed, Thomas had brought a light meal to the table.

Arthur said as he bit into a chicken thigh, "Do you realise this is the first morsel of food that I have had since what we ate while waiting for you at the bridge? Is the castle abuzz with what had happened?"

"I don't believe so, I think Sir Rodney and Leon were quite deliberate in removing the men to the dungeons during the night. The staff might be surprised at the number of Camelot knights in the guest corridors but I haven't picked up any gossip."

-0-0-

Arthur left for Queen Faerian's quarters. He was, as Merlin had promised Lady Catherine, very understanding of the situation and put the women at ease when he never accused her husband or son of anything and spoke about how he hoped that her daughter had not been traumatised by the sad event. He did not ask to speak to the princess as he knew from Merlin that she remembered nothing.

The Queen thanked him for his concern and promised that as soon as possible she and her attendants would be returning home. She smiled sadly at him saying, "I believe, Your Majesty, that my family has overstayed its welcome."

To which Arthur replied gently, "If you wish an escort, I would be only too pleased to have my knights accompany you to Montbus. Sir Leon will arrange it."

The Queen smiled pleasantly saying, "I believe that I might take you up on your offer. Might I visit my husband this evening?"

"Most certainly he is in his chambers…" he glanced at her and gave her a little smile saying, "…probably expecting to hear from you."

She smiled back saying, "I hope he is well prepared because I intend to get to the bottom of this fiasco. I do apologise to you for my husband's behaviour. He has refused to give one of our knights permission to marry Petra even though he is an upstanding young man and I believe they love each other. In his silly old mind, he feels that her marriage should be to a high-ranking family so that she can better herself."

Arthur said, "I'm sure that after this week, he might look more kindly upon the young knight who has stolen his daughter's heart." He stood up, bowed to the Queen and left the room.

Once outside, Merlin joined him. Arthur said, "Stupid old bugger, the princess has a suitor but he is only a knight and the king wanted better."

Merlin stepped a little closer to him and said, "…and I was only a peasant and a certain Crown Prince fell in love with me."

"I did not! You fell in love with me and followed me around like a moonstruck calf…and finally to put you out of your misery so that you could do your job as a manservant properly I…" Arthur looked at Merlin and running his forefinger across his cheek, he continued, "…I fell in love with you!"

-0-0-

The five of them sat down, Arthur and Merlin, Gaius, Leon and Sir Rodney.

Arthur listened intently as they went over how, each one of them had been involved with the so-called problem.

Sir Rodney recounted his one sided conversations with the men in the dungeons. He felt that it was the King's idea. However, his son and nephew were involved as was Sir Willis whose wife he believed was involved with the drugging.

He explained that the three main culprits had refused to speak but the servant Stan had been only too willing to open up.

Gaius explained that the princess had certainly been heavily drugged and that no one else had touched her once he had done a preliminary check to see what was ailing her. He had visited her again today in her mothers' presence and was happy to report that she had no memories of her time outside her own bedchamber.

Arthur said, "Didn't her brother realise that leaving her alone in my chamber placed her in a precarious situation. What if someone other than my immediate staff had entered?"

"Then you, Arthur, would have been considered caught red-handed by implication," said Merlin.

"But I wasn't even there!"

Leon said, "That wouldn't have mattered a girl in a man's bed is enough to start a rumour and the fact that it was a princess would add even more fuel to the fire. The news would have raced round the castle and no one, not even you, would have be able to stem the tide."

"Be thankful that Thomas realised the predicament and got Humphrey. Both their positions as royal manservant and assistant to the Lord Chamberlain hold influence," said Gaius.

"The best thing was that you were able to absent yourself directly from the throne room," said Sir Rodney.

Arthur beginning to feel a little more relaxed said, "Didn't know that I was so much in demand did you, Merlin?"

"Right, you can laugh at it now, but you weren't laughing when we left the courtyard."

Arthur grinned and said to Sir Rodney, "The Queen is planning to see the King this evening, probably as we speak."

"Wouldn't I love to be a fly on the wall...an outraged queen meets a by now, less than secure king?" Gaius said with a raised eyebrow.

"She intends to leave Camelot as soon as she can and I have offered her an escort of our knights if she so wishes. Leon, I told her to contact you and would you also let Lady Xanthe know how thankful I am for the care she gave the princess and the support she is still giving the Queen."

Leon nodded, "I'll take care of the escort and I will also forward your kind message to my wife."

"I think all the Court Ladies involved should get something special," said Merlin. "Maybe some lengths of silk from the far-flung ports, would your wife be pleased with that, Sir Rodney?"

The men all laughed as they realised that Merlin was right, some special lengths of dress material would make them the envy of every other lady of the Court.

"Done…!" said Arthur, "...and as you seem so au courant with ladies' apparel, Merlin, maybe you would like to be in charge of the selection process."

Pedlars and traders were always arriving at the castle to sell their wares and the king's official costume makers and tailors were always buying selections of materials to be used in the outfits the king and his courtiers wore. Merlin would be quite happy to escort the Ladies Jayne, Catherine and Xanthe as they checked on the merchandise offered by the traders.

They continued talking, discussing what might be done with the prince and the two other men. Arthur said that he would like to think it over, however he was leaning toward expelling the bunch of them with the proviso that they never darken the gates of Camelot again.

"Hopefully, the realisation of what they had planned will make them feel guilty. Maybe the Queen will be able to reinforce this. I can't think of any punishment greater than what she will do to them even if it is just refusing to speak to them for the rest of their lives. Her husband permitting his daughter to marry the knight she supposedly likes, might make living with his wife a little easier.

"I assure you that none of the family will be welcomed back to Camelot. The sooner they are out of here the better for all of us."

Sir Rodney said, "I think your plan is good. We can do little but get them out of here as quickly as possible. For the rest of their lives, they can argue among themselves whether it was worth forever cutting themselves off from your family, Sire."

Merlin left the table and returned with more mead.

"Might I suggest, Arthur," said Gaius, "That you have no contact with the men involved? We know who the men are but to waste time talking to them makes no sense. I have a feeling that King Peter will not be impressed with their failure. Therefore, he can deal with their ineptitude when they return to Montbus."

"Good idea, It is probably within my power to have them flogged but I would rather see my guards escort them out of here with only the clothes on their backs. The Queen and the princess are free to leave. We will allow the King to stew a little and then the poor man can leave to face an incensed wife.

"Rodney, you can be my representative and deal with all but the Queen. I will see her depart personally. I intend to give her gold coins to help her should her husband be difficult."

The others nodded, neither the Queen nor the Princess were at fault and didn't deserve to be shunned by King Arthur Pendragon.

-0-0-

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, Arthur and he were alone in their chamber for the first night since the princess had been found in their bed.

"Do you think the princess will be, all right?"

"I'm sure she will be, her mother is strong and I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't married by the spring. As she remembers nothing of what happened, she will have less problem than her mother who will keep those memories forever."

Merlin glanced at the fire, it was well banked. He lit the candle at the end of the bed and had lifted the sheet to climb in beside Arthur, however when the firelight caused a shiny reflection just under the end of the bed. He dropped to his knees and tried to reach it.

Arthur glanced over at him saying, "Merlin, is this some position about which I know nothing?"

Merlin pulled his head up immediately cracking it against the bed post, "Ow! Arthur that was mean."

"I didn't do anything, I was over here while you were grovelling on the floor."

"I don't know why I try so hard," Merlin complained. "Here…catch!"

Arthur was pretty fast and he grabbed for the shining object which Merlin flipped at him but missed and it rolled into the blankets.

Merlin said, "Stay still, I'll get it!" He got onto the bed and started to search around Arthur, he heard him gasp but ignored him and continued feeling around. "It has to be here somewhere!" he insisted.

"Merlin, you are nowhere near where that thing fell and you damn well know it!"

Maybe you should get out of bed..."

"I have no intention of getting up, we'll find it tomorrow."

"You won't be able to sleep. Didn't anyone every tell you the story of the Princess and the Pea!"

"Merlin, leave the Princess out of it. If you have to pee, go now! I have plans for later."

Shaking his head Merlin settled down next to Arthur…one day, he'd tell him as a bedtime story, all about a renowned Mr. Andersen.

-0-0-

Arthur stood on the main stairs in the courtyard to see Queen Faerian's party depart, the Ladies Xanthe and Catherine on the steps beside him. The queen would be accompanied by Sir Caedrik and three other knights as well as her household staff, which included Sir David of Glover whom the Queen had acknowledged as a suitable recipient of her daughter's hand. Arthur never saw Princess Petra as she was surrounded by the queen's maidservants. He had had a visit with the Queen prior to her planned departure and she had reluctantly received the leather purse full of gold which he had insisted she accept. "It will help you resettle at home." No word was made of her husband who was still in Camelot under guard.

Arthur knew that the castle they lived in had belonged to the queen's family and whether she intended to allow the king to return there was something to be decided between the two of them. In reality, theirs was a non-existing kingdom, no villages, no lands. There was no governing council or anyone to intercede for him.

Once the Queen and her daughter had left Arthur had nothing to do with the remaining Montbus family members, allowing Sir Rodney to take over. He was satisfied as it meant a final break with the family, something he had wished for many a year.

The prince and his cousin were returned under guard to the guest wing where they remained for a further week. Rodney had decided that they would leave one week following King Peter's departure.

Sir Willis had been released with his wife Lady Florence the princess's companion whom Arthur was sure had administered the sleeping draught. They had left quietly two days earlier, returning not to Montbus but to his family's manor house near Tolpuddle outside the Roman town Durnovaria.

Stan who was misled by the others and had no wish to return to Montbus was given a job as a labourer on one of the local farms managed by one of the Camelot guard's families.

-0-0-

One day Merlin, Arthur and their friends might laugh about the events which had taken place but at the moment it was still too soon. However, his lucky escape from the Montbus situation would every now and again seep into his mind.

Arthur wondered if he were to blame. Maybe he had given the impression that he was in the market for a wife. If so, he had never intended that. He was more than satisfied with his love life. Merlin was the one with whom he wished to share his life. He respected him, he would never have intentionally done anything to embarrass him or make him feel of less importance. They had a special bond and regardless of what might happen in the future, Arthur knew deep down that no one would ever be able to take Merlin's place.

He and Merlin would be together to the bitter end. Their memories united them, made up of all the things, some important…others insignificant which represented their life as a loving couple. Their lives were inextricably melded together. For a second, a shiver ran up Arthur's spine, as he acknowledged that death alone could separate them. He shrugged, he was worrying about nothing, they were healthy, comparatively young, he would worry about that when they were old and grey.

Merlin had seemed unaffected by the recent events, he was still happy, supportive and loving. Arthur often felt that Merlin's reaction to and understanding of situations were governed by an inner strength which kept him grounded. He seldom seemed frazzled by goings on in the castle. He had an inner confidence which often left Arthur wondering if there was more to this man that he realised.

Arthur smiled, sure Merlin sometimes disappeared to keep out of the way in battles and skirmishes but why not, he and his knights were trained to take care of violence. Always finding him alive and uninjured was a bonus in any victory they had.

He smiled to himself determined that he was going to put this whole month behind him. If he never heard the word Montbus again he wouldn't be sorry.

In spite of that, one night Merlin slipped into bed saying with a cheeky grin, "Sire, shall I be the bedwarmer or the princess?"

A smiling Arthur had turned to get hold of him, whispering softly, "Neither, Merlin Love…just be yourself!"

 **THE END**


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